Entertainment

Would you believe it? Nepali films are beginning to turn the tables on their bigger brothers from Bollywood as this year has witnessed an upsurge in viewer-ship for Nepali movies and a relative downslide in market for Hindi films, says Sushil Chaulagain who has been engaged in distribution of Hindi films here in Nepal for quite some time and who has recently started making Nepali films. "In fact, I have taken up film-making due to the growing market of Nepali films," he adds.

But what has contributed to this overnight change? Views Neer Shah of Caravan fame whose recent release 'Basanti' is expected to be blockbuster, "Nepali films have lately been able to upgrade their quality. And to complement this, recent Hindi movies have tended to repeat age-old formulas without being able to attract any significant number of viewers."

Moreover, investment per movie in India is growing which has direct impact on the amount to be paid by distributors here. As a result, two or even three distributors have to join hands to bring in a Hindi movie which is screened in two or three different theatres simultaneously. The number of cinegoers is thus divided and none of the theatres run to full houses. So in a matter of weeks, the movie has to be withdrawn. This sorry state of Indian film business is also evident from the fact that theatres that had chosen not to screen Nepali films are now beginning to think differently. On the other side of the picture, good quality films running in top theatres in town is having the best of both worlds for the Nepali film industry – a situation very few would have imagined possible.

Theatres of the capital like Gopi Krishna, Guna, Heera-Ratna and Ranjana were uptil recently satisfied with primarily running Hindi movies. But a forced change in strategy saw Krishna (of Gopi Krishna), Guna and Ranjana theatres give ‘Mahili’ priority and this, the second Nepali cinema-scope movie, established screening records. In Pokhara too the film created much uproar as it set the record for the largest daily collection of nearly Rs. 150,000 at the Bindawasini theatre where the seat capacity allows daily collection of only Rs. 50,000. Says Bhim Rana, cameraman of ‘Mahili’, "The situation now supports films to break through traditional barriers and come up with newer storylines." This improved scenario has seen a flood in filmmaking which is bound to bring about competitiveness. And film pundits view this as a very positive sign for the Nepali film industry.

After taking a brief break from the film industry on the back of three disasters, Tulsi Ghimire had centered his focus on making telefilms. But he has come back with a bang with "Darpan Chayan’. The film is doing booming business in various parts of the country on its way to registering the maximum collections by a single movie countrywide. Released from outside the capital, ‘Darpan Chayan’ had already celebrated 51 and 75 day runs in Butwal and Damak respectively. While the film has also been successful in attracting packed houses for 51 days in Dharan, Itahari and Biratnagar, Birtamod takes the cake for a 100 day run. Relates Ghimire, "I was frustrated by the lack of appreciation for Nepali films by local viewers. But I see that the attitude of cinema lovers has changed. ‘Darpan Chayan’ marks a new beginning. I will now continue making films," he adds.

While commercial masalas are pronouncing their stakes on the one hand, such off-track movies as ‘Chameli’, ‘Basanti’, and ‘Mukundo’ have made their entries on the other. And they are not dosing bad business by any means. "This is proof that quality films are bound to do well. This also reflects that Nepali viewers have matured," states director Yadav Kharel. It is however another matter that Kharel, who is now all set to leave Nepali cinema-goers sidesplitting with comedy ‘Hattery’, has seen viewers reject three of his non-traditional ventures – ‘Prem Pinda’, ‘Bhanubhakta’ (historical) and ‘Shree Swasthani’ (religious). He believes that both commercial and off-track films should be made since Nepali fans have begun to accept and appreciate both kinds.

Critics view that growing investments in filmmaking has also been influential in bringing about the all-important change in quality. But they fear that a handful of good and cheap Hindi films could tilt the balance back in favour of Hindi movies. And that is why Nepali filmmakers need to upgrade the technical aspect of filmmaking as well, opines Bhim Rana who is the Technical Director at Nepal Film Development Company.

HMG has played its part as well. While it has exempted Nepali films from the obligation of paying entertainment tax, Hindi movies do not enjoy that facility. And this does make a difference as is indicated by Hindi film distributors now going into film production.

According to the Nepal Film Association, which has been surveying the Nepali film market, films this year have recorded a boom in business of over 25 or 30 percent in comparison to the previous year. Some stations have in fact seen a 100 percent rise, claims the association. And this is not surprising considering that such non-Nepali film stations as Dharan and Biratnagar are setting screening records. This bright picture has consequently resulted in investors queuing up to enter the industry. This year will therefore witness the release of twice as many films as last year. Which means that Nepali films will now be competing with themselves rather than with films from across the border. A situation to relish for the one-time ailing Nepali film industry.

Translated by Navin

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Local Films Beat Bollywood’s

By Ananta Wagle

Nepali films have always played the second fiddle to Hindi movies, they have almost always remained second choice for cinema-goers. But the fifty-year long trend appears to be gradually changing as Nepali films begin to come to their own

Translated by Navin

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		Vol. 2 :: No. 10 September, 2000 (Bhadra-Aswin)
Entertainment