Tibeny Rai: ‘Cinema Can Be Powerful Without Being Loud

‘Coming from Sikkim and the Himalayan region, we don’t have a well-established film industry, so funding, infrastructure, and distribution opportunities are limited. At the same time, that can be liberating.’

‘There are fewer expectations about what stories should be told, and that gave me freedom to make the film on my own terms.’

Like our review says, ‘Shape of Momo is a compelling drama that masterfully portrays a young woman’s rebellion against societal expectations in Sikkim, offering a nuanced look at feminism, family dynamics, and the search for identity.’ Tibeny, 27, looks back at her film and “There was a story I felt compelled to tell, and my approach was to tell it as truthfully and as simply as I could. If the film feels unforced, I consider that one of the greatest compliments it can receive.”

Congratulations on your impressive debut.

As a first-time filmmaker, I never set out to impress. In fact, I was quite conscious of not imposing myself on the story. The film comes from a place that is deeply familiar to me, and from experiences and observations that I have carried for a long time.

My responsibility was simply to be honest to those realities and to the characters. I have always believed that cinema can be powerful without being loud. Rather than trying to make statements, I wanted to create space for people to inhabit these lives and draw their conclusions.

So yes, there was a story I felt compelled to tell, and my approach was to tell it as truthfully and as simply as I could. If the film feels unforced, I consider that one of the greatest compliments it can receive.

‘I grew up in a house full of women’

A lot of the films feels very personal, how much of it comes from your own life?A lot, though not in an autobiographical sense. There isn’t a single character in the film who is me, nor did the events happen exactly as they do in the story. But emotionally, the film is deeply personal.

I grew up in a house full of women, and many of the questions the film grapples with came from observing the ordinary details of everyday life.

What interests you as a filmmaker?

As a filmmaker, I am interested in the gap between what people feel and what they are allowed to express, and that curiosity is rooted in my own upbringing. For me, being personal is not just about revisiting memories, it is also about critically examining the world that shaped you.

Once you do that honestly, the story often becomes larger than yourself.

Your film reminded me of Gulzar saab‘s Namkeen. Who are your cinematic inspirations?

My early inspirations were masters like Satyajit Ray and Yasujiro Ozu. Growing up, I watched a lot of Hindi films that were telecast on Doordarshan. Later, I discovered the films of Guru Dutt, which left a deep impression on me.