Movie review: In ‘Chiso Maanchhe’, a journey with a corpse becomes a meditation on grief and human connection

Dipendra K Khanal's film 'Chiso Maanchhe' offers a space for audiences to engage with its images, silences, and ambiguities. Released in theaters in 2022 and on YouTube in 2025, the movie opens with a radio announcement of Nepal's pandemic death toll, setting a somber tone.

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If this was the old days, you would’ve had to become a sati.

The narrative follows Ashok, a truck driver hired to transport a corpse from Kathmandu to Bajura. He is joined by the deceased's grieving father, Sher Bahadur, and widowed wife. Their journey becomes a microcosm of the pandemic's terror, with roads filled with corpses and anxious migrants. The film uses this arduous trip to explore the precariousness of life and the developing connections between the initially estranged characters.

Director Khanal, known for depicting social issues, continues this in 'Chiso Maanchhe,' portraying a society that is frozen, individualistic, and isolated. A poignant scene shows the widowed wife finding solace in nature, only to be rebuked by her father-in-law, who invokes the historical sati custom. Her response, "If not physically, I have been made a sati in heart," speaks volumes without explicit explanation, demonstrating the film's reliance on non-verbal communication.

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If not physically, I have been made a sati in heart.

The truck itself bears a painted quote: “Life goes on with happiness and laughter. If we work hard, we can find gold in our own country.” This stark irony underscores the film's commentary on migrant worker dreams versus harsh realities. The subtle, wordless gestures between Ashok and the daughter-in-law, like him buying her a snack or extinguishing his cigarette, build a quiet intimacy, showcasing Khanal's skill in conveying deep emotions through understated actions.

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Life goes on with happiness and laughter. If we work hard, we can find gold in our own country.