कल्पवृक्ष
In the midst of COVID-19, two brothers dreamed of making a short film in their homeland, Surkhet. With help from friends with whom we grew up with and family, we turned familiar streets, fields, and homes into our sets. Limited by safety measures, we shot in small groups, used natural lighting, and improvised props. Everyone—from cousins to neighbors—played a part, bringing heart and authenticity to every scene. What emerged wasn't just a film, but a story of community, resilience, and the spirit of Surkhet.
Kalpavriksha revolves around three characters — Chakra, Chahana, and Atit.
At the center of the story stands a wish-fulfilling tree that grants the power of time travel.
Chakra, a naïve and innocent young boy, becomes consumed by the ability to travel through time after discovering the tree. Determined to change his fate, he repeatedly journeys into the past in an attempt to make Chahana his.
Chahana represents desire — the emotional core of the story and the love both Chakra and Atit long for.
Atit, growing suspicious, alters the course of the story by traveling into the past himself.
The short film unfolds in three chapters — Chakra, Chahana, and Atit — with each character's name reflecting their nature and driving the narrative forward.
On a philosophical level, Kalpavriksha explores the nature of human desire.
Through Chahana, the story reflects how desire becomes the driving force of human action — how far a person is willing to go, and how morally dark they can become, just to fulfill what they want.
It questions whether any desire can truly satisfy the endless hunger within us, or if every fulfilled wish only gives birth to another. The film also raises a deeper conflict: Is destiny already written, making every attempt to change it meaningless? Or do we truly possess free will to shape our own fate?
At its core, Kalpavriksha is not just about time travel — it is about the human condition, the cost of desire, and the eternal tension between fate and choice.
Presenting our first experimental film KALPAVRIKSHA:
We sincerely thank Sushil Shrestha for his valuable sound support and guidance throughout this project.
Our heartfelt appreciation goes to Pradeep Rokaya and Resham Darlami Magar for their dedicated management and coordination.
We are grateful to our supporting actors — Ganesh Pariyar, Karna Bahadur Darlami, Rabi Kumari Darlami, Nim Bahadur Shah, Bir Bahadur Raskoti, Arush Magar, Pradeep Rokaya, and Santosh Paudel — for their wonderful performances and contribution.
Special thanks to Sandeep Tiwari for the logo design.
We also extend our gratitude to Krishna, Baishak 12, Aakash Singh Thakuri, Ankit GC, Samir Thapa, Santosh Paudel, Manish RC, Sashwot Rawal, Dipendra Raskoti, Deepika Saru, Bikash Pandey, Saurav Lamichhane, and Siddhant Lamichhane, and to everyone who supported us directly or indirectly.
>Above all, we deeply thank our parents, Mohan Paudel and Shanti Paudel, for believing in us and supporting us both emotionally and financially to bring this project to the screen.
This project is a result of everyone's effort and belief. Thank you.
