Bhuthan — The World's Happiest Man (Film, 2025)

Bhuthan — The World's Happiest Man is a 2025 Nepali-language drama film directed by Binod Paudel, starring Nepali actor Hari Bansha Acharya and two-time Academy Award nominee Bruce Dern. Set primarily in Akron, Ohio, the film follows a Lhotshampa refugee who yearns to return to Bhutan one final time before his death, only to be repeatedly denied a visa. The film explores themes of displacement, intergenerational conflict, cultural identity, and the contradiction between Bhutan's international reputation as the land of Gross National Happiness and the reality faced by its expelled ethnic minority population. It premiered at the Nepal-America International Film Festival (NAIFF) on 28 June 2025 at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland, and was released on Amazon Prime Video in January 2026.^[1]

Plot

The film centres on Bishnu, a Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugee who was expelled from Bhutan during the ethnic cleansing of the early 1990s and spent years in refugee camps in Nepal before resettling in Akron, Ohio. Now elderly, Bishnu works at a plant nursery while dreaming of returning to Bhutan to see a red silk cotton tree his mother had planted. His memories of Bhutan remain vivid, tied to the landscape and culture of his homeland. He repeatedly applies for a visa to visit Bhutan but is denied each time by a government that does not recognise him as a citizen.^[2]

After receiving yet another visa denial, Bishnu dies unexpectedly. His death triggers a reckoning across three generations of his family as they debate how to honour him and what "home" truly means for a displaced people. The narrative explores tensions between traditional Hindu funeral practices and the realities of life in America, generational divides over cultural identity, and the broader question of whether the Lhotshampa can ever truly belong — either in their lost homeland or in their adopted country. A subplot follows Bishnu's granddaughter, played by Aditi Pyakurel, navigating questions of identity and belonging as a young Bhutanese American.^[2]

Production

Director Binod Paudel, who previously directed Nepal's entry for the 2020 Academy Awards, the film Bulbul (2019), conceived the project after relocating to the United States and spending years researching Lhotshampa communities in American cities. Paudel, who is not himself Lhotshampa, stated that he developed the script after witnessing multiple suicides within Ohio's Bhutanese refugee community linked to identity crises and the trauma of displacement. An earlier version of the project, initially titled Rubber City, stalled due to funding difficulties before being reshaped into the final film.^[3]

The film was shot on location in Akron, Ohio, with significant involvement from the local Bhutanese refugee community. Deepak Gajmer, a community member in Akron, served as line producer and basecamp coordinator, organising community participation. Local Bhutanese residents provided housing, meals, and production support, and appeared as extras and in supporting roles. Aditi Pyakurel, who made her feature film debut as Bishnu's granddaughter, is the daughter of Bhuwan Pyakurel, who became the first Bhutanese American city council president when he was elected in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.^[3]

Cast

Themes

The film's title operates as deliberate irony, juxtaposing Bhutan's self-promoted image as "the happiest country in the world" against the suffering of the Lhotshampa, who were forcibly expelled from that same country. The narrative addresses the Bhutanese government's continued refusal to accept Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugees, who are classified as illegal immigrants. The film also examines intergenerational tensions within the diaspora — the older generation's persistent attachment to a homeland they can never return to, the middle generation's struggle to build stable lives in America, and the youngest generation's negotiation of dual identities.^[4]

The film incorporates elements of magical realism and addresses additional themes including the contrast between Eastern and Western religious traditions, the persistence of traditional cultural practices in diaspora, and questions around gender and sexuality within a conservative refugee community. Critics described the film as "artistic rather than entertaining," noting its nonlinear narrative structure and deliberate pacing.^[2]

Historical Context

The film draws on the real history of the Bhutanese refugee crisis. Beginning in the late 1980s, the government of Bhutan expelled over 100,000 Nepali-speaking Lhotshampa from the country. After spending up to two decades in refugee camps in eastern Nepal, more than 90,000 were resettled in the United States through a UNHCR-led programme that began in 2007. Ohio received one of the largest concentrations of resettled Bhutanese, with significant communities in Columbus, Akron, and Cleveland. A study commissioned by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement found that Bhutanese refugees in the United States were committing suicide at a rate nearly twice that of the general population, a crisis that directly informed the film's themes.^[3]

Reception

The film premiered at NAIFF 2025, which showcased over 30 films from 14 countries. It was subsequently acquired by Buffalo 8 for distribution and released on Amazon Prime Video in January 2026. On IMDb, the film holds a rating of 7.5. The Kathmandu Post praised the film as "a touching tale of displacement" while noting that its slow pacing and nonlinear narrative may challenge audiences expecting conventional entertainment. Multiple Ohio public media outlets covered the film's connection to the state's Bhutanese refugee community.^[5]

See Also

• Bhutanese Refugee Crisis
• Bhutanese Community in Akron, Ohio
• Bhutanese Refugee Suicide Crisis
• Bhutan's Forgotten People (Al Jazeera Documentary)

References

1. Bruce Dern Boards Nepal-U.S. Refugee Drama 'The World's Happiest Man' — Variety (2024)
2. 'Bhuthan': A touching tale of displacement — Kathmandu Post (30 April 2025)
3. Ohio refugee community from 'happiest country' featured in new film — WOSU Public Media (13 February 2026)
4. "The World's Happiest Man" Premieres at NAIFF 2025 — South Asian Herald (2025)
5. Bruce Dern Bhutanese-Nepali-American Drama 'The World's Happiest Man' Acquired by Buffalo 8 — Variety (2025)