- A passenger filled highway coach traveling from Eastern Nepal to Kathmandu hits one delay after another, the first of those delays due to a bandh. After a lengthy stop, they are able to bypass the bandh as they masquerade as a wedding party, as bandhs unofficially allow wedding vehicles through their protests. The passengers are able fortuitously to come up with this masquerade as the one acting as the bride is indeed going to Kathmandu to get engaged. The stories of those on board, some whose the delay help, some whose it hurts, are told. The "bride", medical student Pooja, is torn between marrying her intended fiancé Abiral, just returned from the United States and who she's known since they were children, and her lover Ronit. The "groom", Pratiek, whose parents do not approve of his homosexual orientation, has a new boyfriend Vishal, who is facing a personal crisis with his transgendered roommate, Deena. The "wedding planner", Manoj, who is in the military, is rushing to see his housemaid wife Radhika before the effects of a fertility concoction he just took wears off, he unaware of things that are happening with her in relation to having a baby. The driver's party girl girlfriend, Kavita, is facing an issue between seeing that her ill daughter gets medical attention and having no money to pay for the services. Their collective lives get even more intertwined beyond their direct interactions on the bus with one specific incident that happens at their destination.—Huggo
- All aboard the bus to Kathmandu! As if the mountain terrain werent challenging enough, our bus is repeatedly stopped by bandhsspontaneous civil disobedience blockadesa frequent phenomenon since the end of the civil war. Meanwhile, a young woman cant decide between her boyfriend and the fiancé arriving to marry her; a gay man hopes to reunite with his estranged lover; a soldier rushes to his wife in time to try out a fertility potion hes swallowed (not knowing shes kept some secrets from him); and the bus driver knows the woman he loves may be forced back into prostitution if he doesnt show up with money for her sick child. Deepak Rauniyars debut feature has provoked a tumultuous response from Nepali audiences with its realistic characters and their taboo-shrouded issues. Rendered in an improvised cinematic style that heightens an already wild ride, Highway is being called the harbinger of a new era in Nepali filmmaking. [synopsis by Mill Valley Film Festival]
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