New Delhi, May 24 -- In Tribeny Rai's film Shape of Momo, one of the most revealing details is the symbolism of a woman who does not know or care about shaping a momo properly. Rai, one of the first formally trained women filmmakers from Sikkim, uses that small act to open up a larger conversation about gender, family and belonging. Her Nepali-language debut feature follows Bishnu, a young woman returning to Sikkim after years away, only to find that home can be both comforting and confining. Edited excerpts from an interview with Rai, 35, whose film deeply observes the invisible pressures that shape the everyday lives of women across generations.

When we were looking for the title, I had many things in mind, but Shape of Momo felt organ...