Parbati (2026)

Parbati Review: A Sibling Drama With Heart but Uneven Execution

Parbati arrives with a clear mission: to center autism not as tragedy but as a different way of moving through the world. Writer-director Neeta Dhungana, who also stars, builds the film around a brother-sister bond tested by societal ignorance and the quiet labor of caregiving. The premise is earnest and overdue in Nepali cinema, yet the execution often struggles to match its ambition.

Direction and Pacing

Dhungana wears three hats — director, writer, lead actor — and the strain shows. At 152 minutes, the film feels at least 20 minutes overlong, with repetitive beats that dilute the emotional stakes. Scenes linger past their natural endpoint, and the visual language remains functional rather than expressive. There's a hesitancy to trust silence; the score frequently spells out what the performances could carry alone. That said, the domestic textures — cramped kitchens, chaotic streets, the rhythm of ritual — ground the story in a lived-in reality that glossier productions often miss.

Performances

Dhungana's turn as the sister is committed but occasionally leans into melodrama where restraint would land harder. Ashok Darji, as the autistic brother, avoids caricature in the quieter moments — his stimming, his specific fixations — but the script sometimes reduces him to a vessel for the sister's growth rather than a fully realized interior life. The supporting ensemble (Deepa Shree Niraula, Raj Panjiani, Siru Bista) brings warmth, though several characters exist mainly to voice societal prejudice in didactic monologues. A tighter edit and a dedicated director might have drawn more nuance from everyone.

Who Will Connect

Viewers seeking representation-first storytelling will find moments of genuine tenderness: a shared meal without words, a brother defending his sister's choices, the small victories of routine. Families navigating similar dynamics may feel seen. But cinephiles looking for formal daring or narrative economy may find the film's good intentions smothered by its own earnestness. Parbati wants to teach empathy; it sometimes forgets to trust the audience's own.