Letters (Spotlight Weekly)

Improve Quality, Not Quantity

Nepali movies produced during the early phase of Nepali film industry's history are much better than the present day ones in that they show the typical lifestyle of Nepali people and showcase the identity of Nepalis "NEPAL FILM INDUSTRY: Reels Of Recession (SPOTLIGHT February 11)”. That makes it clear that a movie does not necessarily need huge investments to win the hearts of the public. People do not watch Nepali movies expecting the hi-fi scenes they see in Hollywood movies. Instead what they expect in the movies is the depiction of Nepali-ness. For this, film producers neither need huge investments nor highly sophisticated technology. It just asks for little in-depth thinking and creativeness. So, instead of trying to replicate the highly sophisticated foreign movies in vain, producers should think of showing their identity in Nepali films to win the audience.

Nabin Shrestha
Bansbari

Watch Nepali Movies

While it is true that Nepali movies do not meet the standards of Hollywood and Bollywood movies that are produced with huge investments, it also true that the agonies they are suffering at present is largely due to the apathy of Nepali audience towards respecting their identity and selfness "NEPAL FILM INDUSTRY: Reels Of Recession (SPOTLIGHT February 11)”. It is quite clear and understandable that Nepali filmmakers are at odds. They are facing the compulsion of making films for a small audience with little purchasing capacity. Considering this they are bound to limit their investments to a small amount even if they could afford for larger investments. Consequently, the quality of Nepali movies does not match that of foreign movies. Because of this the audience is turned away. In the past, they used to survive because Nepali audience had little option. But now because of the easy access to Hollywood and Bollywood movies, people do not watch Nepali movies. For the Nepali movies to survive, the audience should develop a habit of watching Nepali movies, for the protection of selfness if not for quality. Instead of discarding them, audience could comment on the quality and suggest for improvements, which would then encourage the filmmakers to produce better quality movies.

Sita Adhikari
Baneshwore

Protect Nepali Film Industry

Nepal is going through a lot of problems at present and there are no symptoms of the resolution of these problems. In this context I would like to comment on the cover story of this issue "NEPAL FILM INDUSTRY: Reels Of Recession (SPOTLIGHT February 11)”. Nepali film industry seems to be a retarded industry and there is a lot of instability in this sector. The Nepali films have not been able to attract the audience, particularly the intellectual ones. The intellectual circle, in addition to severely criticizing on the quality of Nepali movies, discourage others to watch and uplift them. Like all other sectors, the film industry too is severely affected by the political instability prevalent in the country and the deteriorating purchasing capacity of the people ensued by a slow down in the economic growth. Moreover, the film industry has a lot of problems within itself. In such a situation, the government has not been able to protect the film industry. It has also been affected by the foreign dominated mentality of the public. The richer and more educated people do not like the Nepali movies and make a habit of watching English and other movies. Others learn this habit from them. Therefore, it is the responsibility of all sides, the government, intellectuals, public literary figures and all others concerned to think seriously about the Nepali film industry and do something from their side to uplift the standard of Nepali movies in order to protect the culture, civilization and the unique identity of Nepali people.

Kumar Adhikari
Kathmandu

Opportunity, Not Constraint

After the royal proclamation of February 1, the coverage of mainstream media has conspicuously shifted from political issues to other issues that they previously considered less significant. While political stories attract more readers for a short instant, it fails to impart the desired impact on the public for a long term. In fact, most of the political stories carried by the mainstream media in the past did not serve any purpose other than making an issue of gossip. In addition, the domination of such issues had overshadowed important part of journalism such as development, health, education, social ills, agriculture, among others. Now, an opportune time has come for the journalists to cover these issues. These issues which directly affect the people not only make an interesting reading to the public but also addresses the problems from the ground level than speculating from the top. The censorship imposed on the press and electronic media should be used as an opportunity in this way instead of agonizing over the gone liberty that they enjoyed and misused in the past.

Hitman Shakya
Bhaktapur

Peace - The First Agenda

After the royal take over, the people are eagerly waiting for long-term peace to prevail in the country. The people have been tired of the strikes, violence, terror and fighting in the past. The government formed under the chairmanship of the King should waste no time in calling the Maoists to the talks table and come to a meeting point to establish durable peace in the country. Likewise, the Maoists, too, if they are working for the people as they claim, should give up their arrogance and come to the talks table to provide relief to the ailing people.

Karuna Nepal
Maharajgunj