‘Chiso Ashtray’ does everything except tell a satisfactory story

The film is artistic with its stunning visuals and dazzling costume designs but it’s missing the basic elements of storytelling.

Among the 42 poems in ‘Ghumne Mech Mathi Andho Manche’, a poem collection by Bhupi Sherchan, one particular poem stands out as an unflinching scrutiny of Kathmandu city. Comparing the city to a cold ashtray, the poem ‘Chiso Ashtray’ laments that Kathmandu turns hopeful new immigrants into broken people with crushed dreams.