MUMBAI: A brainchild of Indian journalist Anand Swaroop Verma, Flames of the Snow, a two-hour documentary chronicling the rise of the pro-democracy movement in Nepal from the 19th century and culminating in the abolition of monarchy in 2008, has been released in 42 theatres in Nepal.

This is for the first time that a documentary will be screened commercially across so many theatres.

Produced by India-based Third World Media in collaboration with Nepal‘s GRINSO and directed by Ashish Srivastav, the film traces the long and blood-drenched pro-democracy struggle against three regimes: the Shah kings of Nepal who ruled the country for 240 years, the repressive Rana prime ministers who reduced the kings to puppets for 104 years and a succession of 12 governments in 13 years which sought to put down people‘s protests by force.

Starting with the fateful Friday night when a family dinner in Nepal‘s royal palace in June 2001 turned into a massacre, leading to the death of the king, queen and eight more royals, the documentary ends with the sun setting on the Shah dynasty on 28 May 2008 when an elected Parliament formally abolished monarchy and ordered the deposed king to vacate the palace so that it could become a national museum.

Flames of the Snow offers a rare insight into the reason that made Dahal, a poor farmer‘s son, become the mighty Prachanda, whose name is now an inspiration to communist movements worldwide.