OFF THE RECORD (Spotlight Weekly)

'My films represent realities of Nepalese life'

— TULSI GHIMIRE

TULSI GHIMIRE, one of the renowned producers and directors of the Nepalese film, is a happy man. His latest production, 'Darpan Chhaya', was successfully screened for 51 days in eight theaters. Ghimire spoke to SPOTLIGHT on the reasons behind the smashing success. Excerpts:

How do you see the audience response to your new film?

I am happy that people liked my production. I am proud that I could bring a story that the audiences liked.

What do you think is different in your films?

They are simply based on the realities of the Nepalese people. The stories is simple and they show our own culture.

At a time when few productions are able to attract audiences, what basic characteristics do you focus on?

As I told you, I don't try to copy the violent situations of Bollywood films. Darpan Chaya is a Nepalese film and presents the reality of Nepal. Fed up with incessant violence in movies, Nepalese audiences have accepted me.

How big is Nepal's film market?

It is a moderate market with an audience of about 10 million people. If you produce a good story, you don't have to worry about the returns.

Silent Deuba

Congress leader and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba seems to have been exhausted by his three-month campaign for the Nepali Congress presidency. After returning from the party convention in Pokhara, Deuba has given the impression that he does not have anything to say. It is surprising to see a man who used loaded verbs and adjectives during the campaign so suddenly run out of words. While criticizing the "slavery" in the Nepali Congress and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s role in perpetuating it, Deuba played all the cards he had. One might have to wait another month for the former prime minister to come up with his new political vocabulary.

Speaker Speaks

As soon as he returned from the Pokhara convention, Speaker of the House of Representatives Taranath Ranabhat declared that he would work as a neutral speaker. His declaration was understandable, as lost the election to become a Congress Central Working Committee member. Speaker Ranabhat also ordered his colleagues in the house to maintain neutrality during the coming winter session. Underneath that neutrality pledge lies the fact that Ranabhat is very angry with Prime Minister Koirala for not having supported him in the elections. He compares this to events four years ago when then-speaker Ram Chandra Poudel won the election though Koirala's backing. If Ranabhat decides to remain a silent spectator amid all the noise the opposition parties have promised to make, the coming parliamentary session is bound to be uneasy for Koirala.

Gupta's Strategy

The silence maintained by Minister of Information and Communication Jaya Prakash Anand Gupta, a vocal Koirala loyalist, is intriguing. Known as one of the powerful members of the Koirala coterie, Gupta's low profile during the convention at Pokhara was totally out of character. His decision not to contest the party elections was viewed with concern. A former journalist who is adept in finding different ways of getting his message across, Gupta now appears to realize the power of silence in politics.

Actors Vs Climbers

Saturday witnessed Dasrath stadium packed to capacity crowd who had come to see an entertaining football match between cine artists and mountain climbers. The crowd cheered their hearts out in support of their stars but in the end it was the group of seasoned climbers who conquered the game 4-2. It was a treat watching Karishma and Nir Shah using their feet against Appa and Kazi Sherpa. Meanwhile, it was once again the police who played spoilsport by charging their baton to the spectators who were only trying to get close to their stars.