KATHMANDU: In the past couple of days, a clip from an interview with actress Surakshya Panta has stirred quite a bit of public discussion. In the interview, she comments on former crown prince Hridayendra Shah, suggesting that he could consider a career in the film industry. Then royalists scolded her loudly and spoke, saying, “A king’s son should be a king, not a movie star.”

Surakshya is introduced by a photo of Hridayendra in the interview and requested to say something about him. She says, “Grandchild of the king… Not Paras’s son?What’s his name again?” She pauses as the host provides him with his name. She continues to say, “He has a huge number of fans, especially little girls.”.Many really like him.” When asked how she envisions his future, she replies, “Come to the film industry. He’s good-looking. I hope he can act too.” She warmly welcomes him to the film field.

The host also brings up the idea of some leaders wanting to restore monarchy. To this, Surakshya firmly states, “We’ve not accepted the system of monarchy. I can’t really call him a king.”

This interview clip has sparked intense backlash from royalists, who are now launching offensive verbal attacks against her. They’ve even threatened to boycott her upcoming movie ‘Khel’. However, it’s not just criticism she’s receiving. Several intellectuals have come out in her support. Dr. Nirmal Kandel wrote on social media, “I was already a fan of Surakshya Panta, now I’m an even bigger one. Manisha Koirala and Santosh Panta need to watch this clip. The interviewer got a great response.”

Following her statement, many praised her, saying, “The awakened youth of today will not accept domination; they’d rather leave the country than become slaves to parties or monarchists.” Surakshya, notably, is the first Nepali actress to walk the red carpet at Cannes. Her supporters argue that being an internationally recognized figure, a royalist boycott will hardly impact her.