Ainaa Jhyal Ko Putali

Ainaa Jhyal Ko Putali (ऐना झ्यालको पुतली; ) is a 2020 Nepali coming-of-age film written and directed by Sujit Bidari under the banner of Icefall Productions and Local Cinema. The film is Nepal's submission for the 95th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. It is the first Nepali film to compete for prize worth of 30,000 US dollars in 25th Busan International Film Festival for the category New Currents in 2020. Bidari also won the best director award in 2022 Dhaka International Film Festival. Released on September 9, 2022, the film stars Kanchan Chimariya, Dinesh Khatri, Siru Bista, and Ashok Shiwakoti, with the first two making their film debuts; similarly it was the first film for most of the actors who worked on it. The title of the film is inspired by a poem of Madhav Prasad Ghimire with the same title.

Synopsis
When he sees that his 13-year-old sister Bidya (Kanchan Chimariya) is losing her strength and becoming less of the strong person with goals she once had, 9-year-old Basanta (Dinesh Khatri) attempts to help her by trying to boost her confidence. The title of the movie alludes to Bidya's situation, in which she is trapped like a butterfly on a windowpane.

Cast

 * Kanchan Chimariya as Bidya Adhikari
 * Dinesh Khatri as Basanta Adhikari
 * Siru Bista as Bidya and Basanta's mom
 * Ashok Shiwakoti as Bidya and Basanta's dad
 * Umesh Shrestha as Bange
 * Bisha Chamling Rai as Bidya's mitini
 * Raj Thapa as Tule
 * Mallika Shrestha as Paarey
 * Prasanna Poudel as Gokul

Soundtrack
Mero Gaun Jyamire was released on August 29, 2022. Title song, Ainaa Jhyal Ko Putali was released on September 7, 2022.

Box office
According to the Film Development Board, Ainaa Jhyal Ko Putali grossed approximately 63.2 lakh in Nepal, which makes it commercially unsuccessful.

Critical response
Ainaa Jhyal Ko Putali received mostly positive reviews from critics and the audience.

Diwakar Pyakurel from Online Khabar rated the film 4 out of 5 and mentioned "Even if this has apparent flaws and fails commercially, stakeholders of the Nepali film industry, the audience included, need to give it a sincere look and think about the different messages the film imparts – for both content and presentation."

Rina Moktan from Kantipur wrote "The entry of narrators like director Bidari is a new hope for the film industry. With characters drawn from Nepali society, 'Ainaa Jhyal Ko Putali' can be called a story of Nepali soil. The film sector has got a good storyteller through 'Ainaa Jhyal Ko Putali', which has come close to the recognition of Nepali films."

Bhesraj Karki from Makalu Khabar wrote "Ainaa Jhyal Ko Putali is a story of a village, and it finish there, but it also serves to highlight the issues, charm, and potential of the city. The number of filmmakers in Nepal who use the same technique and original stories has increased over the last few years. It is appreciated, but this time the flavor is sweet and healthy."