Actress Kajal Karna Alleges Discrimination on Film Set

Kathmandu. Actress Kajal Karna has said that she was looked down upon as Madhesi during film shooting. Karna revealed that she had to face extreme humiliation based on her ethnic and regional identity on the set of the Nepali film 'Chiranjibi Bhava:'.

Kajal, who has acted in more than 350 Tharu, Bhojpuri, and Maithili songs, stated on her social media that the director and makeup artist gave her mental stress and insulted her because she is 'Madhesi' during the film shooting.

According to Kajal, the most painful moment on the film set was during makeup. The makeup artist deliberately applied dark color to her face.

She said, 'They laughed heartily at me, calling me 'Oi Madheseni'. My soil and identity were ridiculed.'

Kajal also said that she had to face humiliation from the main actress Pransha Rayamajhi and Chief AD (Assistant Director) Netra on the shooting set. She said that Pransha Rayamajhi did not allow her to enter her room, saying 'Don't spoil the atmosphere of my room' at the shooting location in Itahari, and the Chief AD scolded her instead.

Her complaint is that despite the designer taking her measurements, she was asked to arrange her own clothes at the last moment, and the production team caused hardship from early morning by not arranging transportation.

Work Not in Script and Dismissal Without Notice

According to Kajal, she was treated like a laborer, not an artist. Although not mentioned anywhere in the script, she was forcibly made to perform scenes of picking up garbage and sweeping.

The pain did not end there. She said that when she asked for her remaining remuneration in Itahari, executive producer Shailesh Khatri called her with a lie, and when she reached there, another artist had already been placed in her role. She said that on the orders of director Deepak Prasad Acharya, she was removed from the film without any prior information and was insulted by being told she was only called to collect clothes.

Exposing the narrow-mindedness that Madhesi artists have to face within the Nepali film industry, Kajal questioned, 'Is being Madhesi our mistake? Is it a crime to ask for the value of our labor?'

She said that even though she was removed from the film, she has not lost her dreams and courage. The production team of the film 'Chiranjibi Bhava:' has not commented on this matter.