"Gauthali" Actress Simran Khadka Walks Kathmandu Streets Carrying a Doko to Promote the Film

Kathmandu — Film promotion in Nepal got a memorable and refreshingly authentic twist on Saturday when actress Simran Khadka, lead of the upcoming film Gauthali, walked through the streets of Kathmandu and Lalitpur carrying a traditional doko loaded with grass, completely in character.

The unusual promotional strategy drew instant attention. Hundreds stopped for selfies, curious about the beautiful young woman walking Kathmandu's busy streets in a village woman's attire with a doko on her back. The crowds did not know they were looking at one of Nepali cinema's most anticipated releases of the season.

Simran visited Basantapur in Kathmandu and Patan in Lalitpur, meeting over 2,000 people in person, handing out brochures with the film's details and inviting them to watch Gauthali in cinemas. "We reached out to audiences in a new way," she said. "Many people told us they had already decided to watch the film after seeing interviews and the trailer. Some even said they had gone to the cinema to watch it, but it had not been showing." She added that personally meeting audiences and seeing their enthusiasm gave her renewed confidence about the film's reception.

Gauthali's trailer has been trending at number 1 on YouTube Nepal, further amplifying the excitement ahead of its Saun 1 release.

The film is directed by Dr. Kapil Rijal and stars Arun Kshetri, Simran Khadka, Madankrishna Shrestha, Prakash Ghimire, Luniva Tuladhar, Rabindra Jha, Ishwari Baral, Sanjog Rasaili, Sitadevi Timilsina, Laxminath Timilsina, and Rajendra Nepali, with child actors Anshu Oli and Prince Nepali. It is presented by Bhola Rijal Production and Suman Giri Production, with executive producer Sarala Rijal and producers Suman Giri and Dr. Kapil Rijal.