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Vol.
3 : No.12 December, 2001 (Mangsir-Poush) |
Entertainment
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Entertainment |
The Nepali film
market, since a few months back, has been witnessing steady downside. If this
sudden change in market trend has jeopardized millions of rupees in investment
on one hand, it has scared away potential investors on the other.
The slowdown in the film market has been evident since May, when in the last six months not one film has done booming business by any stretch of the imagination. Although in that time, some most renowned movies have been released. In sharp contrast, almost every film was known to do above average business prior to May, a number of very ordinary films celebrating three or four weeks’ of running in film halls and quite a few running for fifty and hundred straight days.
In terms of investment and film quality, a number of films released after May – such as ‘Badalpari’, ‘Superstar’, ‘Pinjada’, ‘Army’, ‘Ashirwad’ etc – are said to be ahead of films like ‘Aphno Manche’ and "Tan Ta Saharai Bigris Ni Badri’ which did booming business before May. Bhuwan KC’s ‘Superstar’ is claimed by reviewers to be a better film them KC’s previous ventures ‘Nepali Babu’ and ‘Karodpati’. However, in terms of turnover, the film has not done half the business of those two films. Ugen Chopel’s ‘much hyped ‘Badalpari’ fared no better. So much so that the poor performance of the film is said to have sent serious wrong signals to potential investors.
So what could be the reason for films bombing at the theatre? Says Bishnu Gopal Shrestha, President of Nepal Film Association, "One reason is that cine-goers outside the valley prefer not going to night shows, probably because of fear of Maoists. In Kathmandu, enthusiasm in the entertainment industry has slackened after the incident at the Royal Palace. "And adds that perhaps cinema lovers have also not been satisfied with the quality of films that have come up lately.
Not all people, however, share the view. Says Bharat Shakya, President of the Film Journalists’ Association, "The market has not been positive because of the low quality of the films that have come up." He also views that the market will pick up once good quality films are released.
Film hall owners
and distributors, meanwhile, blame one another for the current market situation.
Film hall owners are accused by distributors and film-makers of disunity, releasing
two or three films simultaneously to grab a larger market. On their part, film
hall owners relate the downslide in the market to the release of similar kind
of films at one time. Theatre owners are also accused of lobbying against one
another. Film makers too are not free from blame. Some new filmmakers are known
to jump in without much knowledge of the business, coming up with pretty mediocre
Products. As a result, say film pundits, Nepali cinegoers tend to place all
films in the same quality category.
As a consequence of the present situation of rising production cost and relatively low return, numerous film-makers are known to keep their films on hold, waiting for a better time for release. All of these filmmakers are said to have put in significant investment, refusing to compromise on any aspect thanks to the positive market trend at the onset of the making. At the moment, some three dozen films ready for release are said to be on hold. And, say film analyst, this is a really difficult period since these films can neither be released immediately and suffer certain loss nor can the film-makers keep them on hold for too long and pay out rising interests. Namaste Nepal’s Naresh Poudel, Chavi Ojha, Shyam Khetan, Tripursundari International Cine Arts’ Yuvraj Lama, filmmakers Ram Krishnan Bajgai, Sushil Chaugai and Ashok Sharma are some of the prominent names that find themselves caught in the current web of crisis. Leave alone small time investors and businessmen.
However, some industry wigs also see silver living in the ongoing crisis. They view that the present situation will filter out those investors not committed to the business in the real sense of the word. However, point out film pundits, concrete steps are urgently required to save some Rs. 200 million invested in numerous films already released. Some also draw attention to the fact that irrespective of the market condition, film stars continue getting the same kind of remuneration.
The downslide in the Nepali film market has not affected the remuneration of cine artists in any which way. But while other sector employees are taxed on the basis of their income, this sector remains almost untouched. Although, of course, the tax department did make an attempt in this respect some time back by dispatching letters in the name of some prominent artists. But nothing has been done thereafter. Analysts view that the inability to come up with any concrete policy on this account on the part of the tax department is unimaginable.
The committee formed to investigate legalities in film-making, since its formation about four months back, relates that it only has cases related to finance. This goes to show that financial irregularities are rife in the industry, point out industry watchers. And add that the concentration of the film-makers should be on the creative side.
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