'Purna Bahadur Ko Sarangi' sparks plagiarism controversy

Kathmandu, November 10 — The film "Purna Bahadur Ko Sarangi", which was released on Laxmi Puja, has been performing strongly at the box office. The film has set a historic record for ticket sales, with all shows from 5 AM to 11 PM facing a rush for tickets.

The film's story and the performances of its actors have been moving audiences to tears. Directed by Saroj Poudel, who also wrote the story, the film is inspired by the emotions Poudel felt after the death of his father.

While the film is doing well commercially, it has come under fire for allegedly copying the story from a novel. Dr. Shiva Shankar Basyal, the author of the 2020 novel "Sangrampur", has claimed that the plot of the film closely resembles his book.

After watching the film, Basyal took to Facebook on Saturday evening to share a post detailing the similarities between the film’s story and his novel. According to Basyal, the film’s characters, themes, and key plot points are strikingly similar to his book.

"Purna Bahadur Ko Sarangi" tells the story of a father's dreams for his son, with Bijay Baral playing the role of the father and Prakash Saput playing the son.

The film also features performances from Anjana Baraili, Mukun Bhusal, Mao Tse Gurung, Binod Neupane, Shankar Acharya, Budhi Tamang, Deshbhakta Khanal, Bholaraj Sapkota, Alisa Bastola, Shyam KC, and Sharita Shah, among others.