Pooja, Sir

{{Infobox film

| name = Pooja, Sir

| native_name =

| image = Pooja, Sir.jpeg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Deepak Rauniyar

| writer = {{Plainlist|

Deepak Rauniyar
{{ill|David Barker (scénariste)|lt=David Barker|fr}}
Asha Magrati

}}

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Deepak Rauniyar
Asha Magrati
Ram Babu Gurung
Alan R. Milligan

}}

| based_on =

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| cinematography = Sheldon Chau

| editing = J. Him Lee

| music = Vivek Maddala

| production_companies = {{Plainlist|

Aadi Films
Baasuri Films
Tannhauser Gate

}}

| distributor =

| released = {{Film date|2024|8|29|Venice|df=yes}}

| runtime = 118 minutes

| country = {{Plainlist|

Nepal
United States
Norway

}}

| language = {{Plainlist|

}}

Pooja, Sir is a 2024 crime drama film directed by Deepak Rauniyar. It premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 29 August 2024.

Premise

Amid the political landscape of the Madhesh movement, two young boys go missing in the village of Rajagunj in southern Nepal, and Inspector Pooja Thapa is brought in from Kathmandu to solve the case.{{cite web |last1=Ramachandran |first1=Naman |title=Berlin Talent Deepak Rauniyar Casts India's Tannishtha Chatterjee in 'The Sky Is Mine' (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/tannishtha-chatterjee-the-sky-is-mine-deepak-rauniyar-nepal-1235178744/ |website=Variety |access-date=29 August 2024 |date=14 February 2022 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829205233/https://variety.com/2022/film/news/tannishtha-chatterjee-the-sky-is-mine-deepak-rauniyar-nepal-1235178744/ |url-status=live}}

Cast

Asha Magrati as Inspector Pooja Thapa
Nikita Chandak as Mamata, a Madheshi police officer
Dayahang Rai as Madan, the police captain
Aarti Mandal as Saraswati
Reecha Sharma as Sabita Koirala, a headmistress and Pravin Yadav's wife
Bijay Baral as Amar
Gaumaya Gurung as Rama, Pooja's partner
Pashupati Rai as Menuka
Ghanashyam Mishra as Ram
Niraj Shrestha as Sabita Koirala's brother
Prameshwar Kumar Jha as Pravin Yadav, a politician and Sabita Koirala's husband
Chandra Dhoj Limbu as Pooja's father

Production

Principal photography took place in Madhesh Province, Nepal, and was completed by October 2023.{{cite web |last1=Ramachandran |first1=Naman |title=Nepal's 'Pooja, Sir' Defeats Cancer to Make Venice Debut (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/nepal-pooja-sir-venice-cancer-1236119303/ |website=Variety |access-date=29 August 2024 |date=29 August 2024 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829070517/https://variety.com/2024/film/news/nepal-pooja-sir-venice-cancer-1236119303/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Ramachandran |first1=Naman |title=Venice-Winning 'White Sun' Director Deepak Rauniyar Wraps 'The Sky Is Mine,' Scores Sorfond Funding (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/asia/white-sun-deepak-rauniyar-the-sky-is-mine-sorfond-1235750230/ |website=Variety |access-date=29 August 2024 |date=12 October 2023 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829205058/https://variety.com/2023/film/asia/white-sun-deepak-rauniyar-the-sky-is-mine-sorfond-1235750230/ |url-status=live}}

Release

A teaser trailer was released on 27 August 2024.{{cite web |last1=Ramachandran |first1=Naman |title=Venice Horizons Competition Title 'Pooja, Sir' Unveils First Sales, Teaser (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/venice-pooja-sir-sales-teaser-1236119220/ |website=Variety |access-date=29 August 2024 |date=27 August 2024 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829130633/https://variety.com/2024/film/news/venice-pooja-sir-sales-teaser-1236119220/ |url-status=live}} The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 29 August 2024 as part of the Orizzonti competition.{{cite web |last1=Aricò |first1=Giacomo |title=Festival di Venezia 2024, si comincia: il programma con film, date e le star più attese |url=https://www.vogue.it/article/festival-di-venezia-2024-film-ospiti-programma-date |website=Vogue Italia |access-date=29 August 2024 |language=it |date=2 August 2024 |archive-date=27 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927045926/https://www.vogue.it/article/festival-di-venezia-2024-film-ospiti-programma-date |url-status=live}} Several actors did not attend the premiere because they could not acquire visas.{{cite AV media |date=29 August 2024 |title=POOJA, SIR (Orizzonti): Interview with Deepak Rauniyar #venezia81 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgZpMhTx588 |access-date=29 August 2024 |publisher=Fred Film Radio |via=YouTube |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829204014/https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=LgZpMhTx588 |url-status=live}} The film was also selected for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024, where it competed in the South Asia Competition.{{cite web |last=Shankar |first=Ananya |title=MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Announces its 2024 Official Film Selections |url=https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/lists/all/mami-mumbai-film-festival-announces-its-2024-official-film-selections |website=The Hollywood Reporter India |access-date=26 March 2025 |date=30 September 2024}}

The film was released in Nepal in March 2025. The release date had previously been delayed because of modifications required by the Nepal's Film Censor Board.{{cite web |last=Ramachandran |first=Naman |title=Venice Title 'Pooja, Sir: Rajagunj' Released in Nepal After Extensive Censorship Battle: 'An Attack on the Fundamental Right to Freedom of Speech' (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/pooja-sir-rajagunj-released-nepal-censorship-battle-1236348241/ |website=Variety |access-date=26 March 2025 |date=26 March 2025}}

Reception

Claire Fulton of Loud and Clear Reviews gave the film three out of five stars, writing, "Deepark Rauniya's Pooja, Sir is really effective as a thrilling police procedural, but falters a little with its intimate character moments."{{cite web |last1=Fulton |first1=Claire |title=Pooja, Sir Film Review: This Woman's Work |url=https://loudandclearreviews.com/pooja-sir-film-review/ |website=Loud And Clear Reviews |access-date=29 August 2024 |date=29 August 2024 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829132135/https://loudandclearreviews.com/pooja-sir-film-review/ |url-status=live}}

Accolades

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! scope="col"\| Award ! scope="col"\| Year ! scope="col"\| Category ! scope="col"\| Result ! class="unsortable" \| {{Tooltip\|Ref.\|Reference}}
scope="row" \| Venice Film Festival \| 2024 \| Orizzonti Award for Best Film \| {{nom}} \| {{cite web \|last1=Ford \|first1=Lily \|title=Venice Film Festival Awards: Pedro Almodóvar Wins Golden Lion for 'The Room Next Door' \|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/venice-film-festival-awards-best-film-golden-lion-jury-2024-1235994361/ \|website=The Hollywood Reporter \|access-date=7 September 2024 \|date=7 September 2024 \|archive-date=7 September 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907181001/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/venice-film-festival-awards-best-film-golden-lion-jury-2024-1235994361/ \|url-status=live}}
scope="row" \| MAMI Mumbai Film Festival \| 2024 \| South Asia Competition \| {{nom}} \|

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

! scope="col"| Award

! scope="col"| Year

! scope="col"| Category

! scope="col"| Result

! class="unsortable" | {{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row" | Venice Film Festival

| 2024

| Orizzonti Award for Best Film

| {{nom}}

| {{cite web |last1=Ford |first1=Lily |title=Venice Film Festival Awards: Pedro Almodóvar Wins Golden Lion for 'The Room Next Door' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/venice-film-festival-awards-best-film-golden-lion-jury-2024-1235994361/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=7 September 2024 |date=7 September 2024 |archive-date=7 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907181001/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/venice-film-festival-awards-best-film-golden-lion-jury-2024-1235994361/ |url-status=live}}

scope="row" | MAMI Mumbai Film Festival

| 2024

| South Asia Competition

| {{nom}}