Remembering Uniting Factors
Nepal and India share many cultural and religious similarities and Hindi films remind them
By A CORRESSPONDENT
“Jub Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya (When you are in love, there is nothing to be afraid of).” This is an all-time popular song of Mughal-e-Azam, which once again reminds one of Nepal and India ’s long-running list of common tastes in music, culture and entertainment.
Being a close neighbor of India , Bollywood films have greatly contributed to transform Nepalese society. As language based on Devanagari, Hindi films are popular in Nepal for decades. Nepalese people see their cultural and religious similarities through Hindi movies.
Hindi films thrive in Nepal through people to people efforts and business contacts. At one time in the past, film owners made a lot of money showing Hindi films in the valley, as they were the only source of entertainment. These days Nepali films and even Hollywood flicks have gained ground in urban centers.
Realizing the need to recognize the importance of areas linking Nepal-India, the Embassy of India and B. P. Koirala India-Nepal Foundation is scheduled to organize Indian Film Festival in January-March 2006.
Six films of different period and generation are chosen for the Indian film festival. Mughal-e-Azam, Chaudhawi Ka Chaand, Pyaasa, Bobby, Hip Hip Hurrah and Garam Hawa. All the films were popular and widely reputed at their time.
The film festival will begin from Dharan as the city was revived from verge of collapse following the construction of B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences under Indian cooperation.
The festival will begin at Dharan in Ganesh Talkies on 7 th January 2006 and will continue there on 9 th and 10 th January. It will be held in Janakpur in 14-16 January, in Birgunj 20-22, January, in Pokhara 20-22 February, in Nepalgunj 24-26 February and Kathmandu 3-5 March.
From every aspect, the stories and incidents presented in Hindi films resemble with the Nepalese environment. This is the reason there is no dearth of fans of Indian films in Nepal . From Mechi of east to Mahakali of west and Kathmandu valley and Pokhara valley, Indian cinema has established itself as a popular means of entertainment.
For the early generation, Prithivi Raj Kapur, Raj Kapur, Dilip Kumar, Balraj Shahani, Sammi Kapoor, Devananda Madhu Bala, Sadhana, Mala Sinha, Sadhana, Babita were the name of their time. Then came the time of legendary actors like Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz, Utpal Dutta, Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Jitendra, Dharmendra, Maushami Chattarji, Rakhee, Hema Malini and so on.
Despite the introduction of Nepalese film, the new generation of youngsters also equally favor Hindi films and their actors. Shah Rukh Khan, Amir Khan, Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Kajol, Akshaya Kumar, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit and Kareena Kapoor are well-known heart-throbs.
“There is no need to explain the cultural similarities between the people of India and Nepal . Through the film festival, we want to remind basis of our long relations,” said Indian ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shanker Mukherjee. “We have chosen best films of different time.”
The films chosen to display at different places represent different generations. The old generation will enjoy watching the Mughl-e-Azam, Chaudavin ka Chaand and Pyasa. The middle-level generation would enjoy Bobby and Hip Hip Hurrah.
‘The films were chosen representing the various stages of India film industry,” said Gopal Baglay, Counselor, Press, Information and Culture. “We hope Nepalese people will like them.”
Political and diplomatic relations have their different dimensions, as there will be regular ups and downs. So far as the religious and cultural relations between the two countries are concerned, they are virtually smooth. Evolved and developed in the course of centuries of interactions, Nepal ’s cultural and religious relations with India are unbreakable and undistinguishable. The film festival is just a part of it.
