Dayahang Rai is taking up the cause of red panda conservation in Nepal

Until recently, Nepali movies tended to have lead characters who were extraordinary people who stood out from regular folks and were largely detached from their day-to-day lives. But popular actor Dayahang Rai , who started out in theatre and continues to invest time and energy there, has made a name for himself playing relatable characters with the same range of emotions as the rest of us.

Rai, from the eastern hill region of Nepal, also stands out from the rest of the celebrity pack in the Nepali film industry in another important way. Popularly known as Kazi, after the lovelorn character he played in the four-part Kabaddi movies set in the majestic trans-Himalayan region, Rai embraces a cause close to his heart: saving the country’s red pandas. He serves as the conservation ambassador for the Red Panda Network , an NGO working to save the endangered animal in Nepal.