"Roll No. 1" Releases Teaser Depicting a Father's Dream and a Student's Struggle with Scholarship and Poverty

Kathmandu — The teaser of Roll No. 1 has been released on YouTube, and it speaks to an experience that thousands of Nepali families will recognize immediately: the pain of watching a parent's sacrificed dreams and a child's crushing academic pressure intersect with the harsh realities of poverty.

The teaser centers on a father who sets aside his own aspirations to dream entirely of his son's future, and the anguish that follows when that dream is threatened. It highlights the experience of students who depend entirely on scholarships to continue their education, and what happens to them when they fall just short of the cutoff. The weight of academic ranking, social pressure to excel, and systemic barriers that leave poor students behind are all present in the short preview, told through images that feel less like cinema and more like a mirror held up to real Nepali life.

The film is directed by John Yonjhan, with lead roles played by Mukun Bhusal, Sushank Mainali, Renu Yogi, and Sirjana Adhikari, and child actors Nirbhik Regmi, Rinchen Lama, Sanyam Katuwal, and Sijal Shrestha. The story is written by Mahesh Dawadi, and the film was shot across multiple locations in Myagdi. Producers are Vinod Paudel and Janvi Paudel, with co-producers Chhatramaya Giri and Ramesh Chaulagain.

Roll No. 1 releases on Jestha 15, simultaneously in Nepal and internationally.