India, Dec. 21 -- Tribeny Rai's directorial debut, Shape of Momo, is as delicately layered and tender as its titular dish. From the first scene itself, you can tell that you are in the hands of someone safe and collected who is going to tell this story with a lot of grace. It is a character study constructed on the slightest of shifts and tempers, to decode the way in which a young woman is shown her place in a deeply patriarchal and invasive society at large.

A poem is being read out by Bishnu (Gaumaya Gurung), who has returned from Delhi to her village in Sikkim. Her mother is proud, and the relatives and neighbours praise how well she has turned out, even after the passing of her father. The next instant, it is about Bishnu's marriage...