May 7, 2026 
Kathmandu: The release of the Nepali film Lalibazar has officially been cleared after the Patan High Court refused to continue a short-term interim order that had previously halted the film’s release.
A joint bench of judges Khadananda Tiwari and Netra Prasad Acharya issued the decision on Wednesday, allowing the film to hit theaters from Friday, Baisakh 25, according to production company Shatkon Arts.
Producer Max Dipesh Khatri said the team welcomed the court’s decision and confirmed that the movie would now be released as scheduled. He stated that the film was never intended to hurt the sentiments of any community or group.
“We made the film around the story of a mother and daughter. It portrays the struggles and sacrifices a mother makes for her daughter,” Khatri said.
Director and writer Yam Thapa also expressed confidence that viewers would not find the film offensive after watching it. According to him, several assumptions and speculations had surfaced about the movie without people actually seeing it.
The film stars Swastima Khadka, Rabindra Singh Baniya, Samaira Thapa, Mukunda Kumar Shrestha, Abhay Baral, Prem Pandey, Pradeep Dhakal, Asha Poudel, Govinda Sunar, Abha Aryal, Tara Sharma, Ramesh Wadi, Saraswati Adhikari, Janaki Kadayat, Nischal Panthi and Birbal Chaudhary in major roles.
The film also marks the debut of Bishal Devkota and Prashansa Subedi. Devkota is known for his work in theater as both an actor and director, while Subedi is emerging as a promising Gen-Z actress.
The screenplay and dialogues of the film were jointly written by Yam Thapa and Pradeep Bhattarai. Bhattarai also serves as the executive producer, while Max Dipesh Khatri and Rabindra Singh Baniya are the producers.
The technical team includes creative director JB Rubali, action director Samrat Basnet, cinematographer Sushan Prajapati, editor Mitradev Gurung, production head Rupak Pratap Adhikari, colorist Renish Phago, VFX artists Samir Shrestha and Satyam Rana, background music and mixing by Rohit Shakya and Shailesh Shrestha, art director Umesh Chaudhary, publicity designer Royal Bhimsen (Trident), media coordinator CP Jaisi, costume designer and stylist Janaki Kadayat, makeup artist Kavya Thapa, and musicians Prakash Saput, Khem Century and Jayan J Waiba.
