Kathmandu, July 22 -- Kapil Rijal's new movie 'Gauthali', named after its female protagonist, picks up salient themes of patriarchy and mental illness. Gauthali, two years out from appearing for the SEE exams, is married off by her family, at her ailing grandmother's insistence, to what turns out to be an autistic man. The grandmother fears her own chances of getting into heaven lest she die before partaking in the piety of her granddaughter's wedding ceremony.

Right here is a well-identified social malaise; Gauthali's wedding is not a matter of doing what she would like but one of social convention and superstition. It is a shame, then, that having chosen to portray issues of such importance, the movie turns out to be a mediocre viewing...