Kathmandu, November 26:

Three Maoist MPs were so touched by the story of a movie based on the Maoist People’s War that they could not hold back their tears and kept sobbing throughout the show at the Jaya Nepal Cinema today.

Coincidentally, the audience present in the theatre was surprised by the sobbing of the MPs of the Maoists, who launched a decade-long war that left over 13,000 people killed and thousands more injured.

While the chief guest of the charity screening of Nepali feature film Shaheed Maoist, central committee member and MP Lokendra Bista and guest MPs Bhagwati Pradhan and Devi Khadka were sobbing, the audience, however, did not feel disturbed as the Maoist leaders were seated in the last row.

Following the show, Bista said they could not hold back their tears as the movie reminded them of the suffering during the People’s War days. He said the movie has fantastically portrayed the events as if they were real. “It (the movie) was far better than expected,” he said.

MP Devi Khadka who was allegedly raped by a DSP in police custody during the People’s War, could not control her tears when she happened to see similar scenes on the screen. Another scene, where the main actor Bibek is killed in the movie, reminded her of his brother Rit Bahadur Khadka who was arrested and later killed by the security forces.

“Though I am not a very kind-hearted man, I could not hold the tears back while watching the film, which has scenes resembling my days in police custody and war. All the incidents have been wonderfully woven in the movie,” Bista said.

President of Nepal Film Development Board Iswor Chandra Gyawali, Maoist leader Hit Bahadur Tamang, comedian duo Madan Krishna Shrestha and Hari Bansha Acharya, actor Dilip Rayamajhi and actress Richa Ghimire, among others, were also present at the show.

The charity show was organised by the Republican Radio Workers’ Forum to collect funds for itself. The film is directed by Bijaya Basnet.