In this unsettling short documentary, filmmaker Sikuma Rai looks into the depressing reason why the women of the community have a history of alcoholism.
Come Over For A Drink, Kanchhi review: Gloomy investigation into the despairing lives of the Rai women of Nepal
Cinestaan Rating
Release Date: 2020 / 26min
Sonal Pandya | Mumbai, 17 Mar 2021 2:48 IST
In the short documentary Come Over For A Drink, Kanchhi, filmmaker Sikuma Rai examines why the women of the Rai community in Sikteltar, Bhojpur, Nepal, have succumbed to alcoholism over the years. Rai takes a candid yet heartbreaking look into their bleak lives, where they turn to alcohol to numb their sorrow and pain.
Rai speaks to a number of women ranging from a woman in her twenties to a septuagenarian. The honest, matter-of-fact confessions display the hardships they have faced over time. From a grandmother who began drinking homemade rice wine after her young son’s suicide to a middle-aged woman drinking to cope with life's obstacles and the daily grind, the women have endured much.
The women of the Rai also indulge in companionable drinking, getting together to share what they have made. Many have been doing so since childhood and find it hard to quit. Others, like Amrit Kumari, stopped eventually when it began to take a toll on their health.
But for many others, this is a long-treasured tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation and is now just a part of life. These strong women have often lived hard lives in the fields and manage their households single-handedly, with little support from their husbands. Friendship with other women is one way they share their troubles. No one else would understand.
Filmmaker Sikuma Rai, who comes from the same community, gets them to open up and share their burden. The short documentary is a gloomy investigation into the matter; there seems no escape for many of them.
But Come Over For A Drink, Kanchhi is an open conversation discussing the problems that have long ailed the Rai women and, hopefully, will begin a process to slowly get the help that they need.
Come Over For A Drink, Kanchhi was screened as part of the Community and Sustenance section of the Rising Gardens Film Festival from 12–15 March 2021.