The 97th Oscar entry Shambhala has finally been released in Nepal after garnering accolades in international film festivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For me, Shambhala is not merely the \u2018Himalayan story of polyandry\u201d. It is about the protagonist Pema\u2019s pursuit of acceptance and the process of liberation that leads her to the symbolic Shambhala<\/em>– a place of peace and happiness. Filmed with an ethnographic approach, Shambhala has gendered sociocultural elements woven into its fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I will discuss this movie from the feminist perspective. This article is my subjective analysis which does not denounce that movies as such are open to multiple interpretations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a polyandrous setting, Tashi is the only breadwinner in a house amongst the three brothers Pema is married to. One of them, Karma, is on his way to becoming a monk, so he goes to live with Rimpoche (priest) in a Gumba. The youngest Dawa, an adorable playful groom is still a kid. For obvious reasons, Tashi is the one who consummates marriage with Pema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pema does the chores, prepares food, and takes care of Dawa- conventional gender roles. Tashi works in the field and plans to go to Lhasa for work- again, quite normative. But, and I want to stress this, nowhere amidst their household interactions and chores did the movie evoke savior syndrome in me. There is an absence of an oppressive male\u2014oppressed female dichotomy. Bham\u2019s treatment of Pema, in this sense, is that of a woman who is situated in a gendered social context but stands unapologetically firm, and equally compassionate. This way Bham refrains from essentializing Pema into gender stereotypes\u200a\u2014\u200athe mistake that could have occurred even in confines of a polyandrous setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things aren\u2019t so smooth in an otherwise picturesque ethnographic tale after Tashi leaves for Lhasa for work. Now, Pema is left alone with Dawa\u2019 responsibilities. Dawa\u2019s teacher helps Pema with his studies by home-tutoring him. One night, Ram gets drunk and sleeps outside Pema\u2019s door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The movie shows there is a definite rapport between Pema and Ram, but no two-way romance. So, when Pema discovers she is pregnant, it\u2019s Tashi\u2019s. Dawa, who found a mother in Pema and revered her, accused her of having an affair with Ram as rumors had already spread. \u201cDon\u2019t treat me like a son, you are my wife and I am your rightful husband\u201d, he says as he feels the need to establish authority. It is interesting to see at this point how hidden gender politics surfaces during the intra-familial conflict. Little Dawa is conditioned to think that a woman\u2019s loyalty should be questioned upon her rendezvous with any strange man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pema finds Tashi had heard the rumor on his way home and decided not to return out of anger, shame, and heartbreak. She decides to find Tashi to get his trust back and raise the child together. It\u2019s also her attempt to clear her name through Tashi\u2019s acceptance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pema\u2019s decision to embark on an arduous journey is a very important event in the film. When she receives the token of love returned by once doting Tashi, her distressed and confused state marks what constituted love for her at that point. It\u2019s the validated loyalty and Tashi\u2019s acceptance. Right before her marriage, her mother had told her to be a loving, good wife to her grooms. Because it\u2019s her world now- she has<\/em> to nurture it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Karma leaves Gumba to accompany Pema- as a guardian husband upon Rimpoche\u2019s insistence. But he is not cut out to be a husband, he is a to-be-monk. So, Pema plays the assertive and protective one when needed. One\u2019s performance of gender roles, in reality too, is contextual Versus the widely constructed and believed dominant narratives about masculinity and femininity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of which, it\u2019s intriguing how Bham juxtaposes two masculinities in the movie- the one displayed by Tashi and another by Karma. Tashi displays aggressive \u2018hegemonic masculinity\u2019, the term coined by sociologist and gender scholar R.W. Connell. This form of masculinity is dominant and more mobile across cultural groups, hence hegemonic in effect. It is widely internalized as the only form of masculinity- exhibited through aggression, bravery, and protectiveness. Historically produced patriarchal values reinforce this tendency as most men become more aware of their authoritative status and many women are conditioned into believing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Karma, on the other hand, displays a thoughtful, secure masculinity. Deeper engagement with his spirituality and Rimpoche\u2019s teachings away from the normative way of life informs his conscience. He says, \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter whose child is in your womb. Creation of life is a far greater process\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the movie progresses, it\u2019s evident that Pema\u2019s journey is intrinsic to her self-discovery. First, through Karma, she witnesses the kind of acceptance, that is more accepting and honoring of her being. Here, Bham is careful not to portray Karma as Pema\u2019s savior. It\u2019s the otherwise, as she persuades him to go back to Gumba and follow his calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, she encounters an incident where a woman is being tested to prove her loyalty towards her husband through a ritual. She fails and is deemed the culprit of cheating on her husband. Ostracised by her community, she kills herself. This particular event depicts the patriarchal gender dynamics of that community. Pema witnessing this adds to the ways her internal sense of love and acceptance was being reshaped. Thus, Bham says without telling <\/em>how along this journey, Pema is gradually finding herself, liberating from her past beliefs shaped by the gender expectations and masculinities around her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pema finds Tashi has already returned home. She too returns and confronts Tashi. But she has to go through the same ritual of proving her loyalty. She does perform the ritual because the barren land is not just a scenic marvel. It\u2019s a confined society, situated far from alternate prospects. There is no clear indication of whether Pema passed the test. But there is a symbolic insinuation at the end that she reached her Shambhala- through liberation from her relentless pursuit of what she thought was love and acceptance. The post-credit scene shows Pema\u2019s child being cared for by Karma, not Tashi. We don\u2019t know if Pema died during childbirth or is alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n