Nepal, Dec. 16 -- Throughout my filmmaking journey in Nepal, I have faced one challenge more suffocating than budgetary or logistical constraints: censorship. The irony is that the very thing I value most in cinema-realism-is precisely what makes authorities uncomfortable. Those in power fear filmmakers who tell the truth.

Governments, institutions, and even the Nepal Police feel uneasy when a film reflects reality because it exposes parts of society they do not want the public to question.

My two-year battle over 'Gaja Baja'

This conflict became most visible in 2016, when my film 'Gaja Baja' was banned before it even reached the audience. The Film Development Board refused to register the title, claiming the word 'gaja' (marijuana) mi...