OFF THE RECORD (Spotlight Weekly)

‘I Am Happy That The People Like Basanti’

— NIR BIKRAM SHAH

NIR BIKRAM SHAHA, one of the luminaries of Nepal's film industry -recently celebrated the 50th-day screening of his film Basanti. Shaha spoke to SPOTLIGHT on different aspects of the film. Excerpts:

How do you assess the performance of Basanti?

It is doing extremely well. As you know, it has crossed the 50-day mark. I am happy that the people like it and hope it will run for at least another 50 days.

But some crtics maintain that the film has failed to impress the people.

That is a baseless -- and even biased -- comment. Some people must be viewing the film as a threat to them.

How can you justify your claim?

Just look at the number of people at the movie theaters -- not only in Kathmandu but also outside the valley. The film has already made record profits.

Isn't it true that the audience numbers are low?

Basanti is not a commercial film so you cannot expect that kind of crowd. My target audience is different. You cannot expect an art film to draw the kind of people commercial cinema does.

You are then satisfied with the performance of the film?

Yes. The audience turnout exceed our expectations.

Do you plan to make other films based on historical settings?

Basanti has encouraged me to do more such films. I see a large audience for Nepalese art movies.

Credit Problem

When Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel and leaders of nine left parties signed an agreement on reducing the price of kerosene and calling off the planned Nepal Bandha, our comrades instantly found themselves embroiled in a new dispute: Who would be the first to make the announcement on Nepal Television? It was a tough decision indeed. Finally, after some haggling, Poudel came out with a formula: MP Lilamani Pokharel would speak to NTV along with CPN-ML leader Radha Krishna Mainali.

Although the comrades' decision to call off the two-day strike at the eleventh hour was laudable, their subsequent rivalry to claim credit left one amused.

Seeing Is Believing

Even after the withdrawal of the Nepal Bandha was announced by Nepal Television and Radio Nepal and printed in newspapers, many people did not believe the news until they actually saw vehicles on the streets. While all political parties claim to be totally trustworthy, the people proved otherwise. When people refuse to believe what the government and nine parties have committed themselves to, claims of credibility ring hollow.

Week Of Journos

Journalists themselves were in the news last week. Kedar Subedi of Bimarsha and Yogesh Upadhyaya, former editor of Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post, were in the headlines for their contributions to the fourth estate. The founding editor of the two leading private-sector dailies, Upadhyaya resigned from Kantipur Publications. Subedi won Transparency International's award for his investigative stories.

One interesting feature of the Upadhyaya story was that while publishers hailed his role in establishing the two newspapers, Upadhyaya seemed to lack words to reciprocate those sentiments.