A date with the director
‘I am struck by Nepal’s simplicity’

"I certainly would like to come here again and tell the people that Nepal is safe, Nepal is beautiful, Nepal is warm and Nepal needs to be put on the center stage of the world"

Satish Jung Shahi

Indian film director Mahesh Bhatt’s profession is to capture movie stars with his camera. But this time round, there was something else that captivated him instead – Nepal’s beauty.

Touched by Nepal’s hospitality right in his first visit, Bhatt plans to make a film in Nepal soon. The idea, Bhatt says, was conceded upon him by his Nepal admirer friend and journalist cum writer Neelesh Mishra who has also written a book about the unfortunate Royal Palace massacre.

"I certainly would like to come here again and tell the people that Nepal is safe, Nepal is beautiful, Nepal is warm and Nepal needs to be put on the center stage of the world," Bhatt said in an interview to Kantipur Television during his brief stay in Nepal recently.

Well, Nepal has bowled out Bhatt for more reasons. "I find the beauty and the simplicity very moving, very refreshing and the beauty is present in every square inch of this fascinating land," says Bhatt, adding that all he had seen of Nepal earlier was on television screens, movies and picture postcards.

Bhatt was in Nepal to attend the HIV/AIDS Regional Conference organized by UNICEF and the Nepal government. With his experiences, Bhatt feels that using the "entertainment engine" can step up the awareness campaign and play a significant role in combating the menace of HIV/AIDS. One of his major stints with HIV/AIDS was when he did a program involving children from a certain part of India giving them tools and inputs to make films. "We felt that children making films for children are more effective than what adults make for the children," he says.

On the other hand, Bhatt expresses that the Bollywood entertainment scenario should keep its feet firmly on the ground and be continuously in touch with reality. In reference to various cases where Bollywood stars have been marred by various cases of drugs and alcoholism, he says, "Bollywood undoubtedly has a major impact on the psyche of people in South Asia and all over the world. I have always tried to keep my children and my associates aware of the reality as I see them and that has been my only tool to keep them reigned and safe," he says.

Bhatt says his next movie on the cards is Footpath, due for release at the end of April and another one Saaya slated for release in May. His daughter, actress turned producer Pooja Bhatt will be coming out with another movie of hers towards the end of the year. His currently released film movie, Jism, which he made together with his daughter, is doing fairly well in the market.

So how has Mahesh Bhatt been able to maintain the "Daddy Cool" image in the Hindi film industry?

"I have a world view. My own personal philosophy which I do not impose on people but I certainly do not allow a non-existent value structure that people propagate to me from platform to interfere and staple me," he says.

Not surprisingly, Bhatt was once again in the news a few days after he spoke to this scribe for declining US President George Bush’s invitation for a program. Reports quoted him as citing "America’s coercive policy" against smaller nations as the reason.

Sugam singing in style

Pheri tyo din’ is probably the catchiest song of this year. Its music video is equal ly good. Meet the singer Sugam Pokharel, with Pragya Rajouria

Feb 14th is at the doorstep and you can’t help asking Sugam Pokharel how many cards he received last valentine’s day. He’s one of the hottest male vocalists in today’s Nepali pop scenario. Channel Nepal plays his songs frequently. So do Image Channel and NTV. " I was simply an aspiring artist last year this time," says Sugam. And you are taken aback by this young man’s honesty.

You can call him another phenomenon after Nabin Bhattarai. Nabin gave the young listeners the much needed ‘songs sung differently’ and took the music market by storm. Sugam with his unusual voice is doing the same. His first album ‘Soonya’ sold over 20,000 copies. Album sales wise he can be ranked with top pop artists Nima Rumba and Nabin. "As a singer I greatly admire James Pradhan, Nima Rumba, Ram Krishna Dhakal and Nabin Bhattarai. There is so much I’ve learnt from James Pradhan," says the singer.

Sugam has come a long way since he sang a solo song as a seventh grader in Siddhartha Sishu Sadan in Biratnager. " Back in school days also people used to appreciate my voice. I always had this desire to become a public figure but I wasn’t sure in what way. I never thought of becoming a doctor or an engineer and I longed to work in such environment where I wouldn’t look out of place even if I grew hair and wore faded jeans," he says and adds, " In a way my dream has materialised. My work as a RJ in Radio Sagarmatha and this singing profession has no dress code. Both the jobs are cool. I am happy with the way things have worked out for me."

The young man says that life hasn’t always been a piece of cake for him. He has had his fair share of ‘struggling artists days’ in Kathmandu. "Away from home and family I had to earn my own living and pay for campus fees. You know how difficult it is to survive in Kathmandu that way," explains Sugam and adds, "For my album ‘Soonya’ I invested every penny I had. It was a huge risk but things worked out fine for me."

And why wouldn’t the album like ‘Soonya’ do well in the market when it has songs like ‘Mero Sansar timi nai hau’ and ‘Pheri tyo din’? The rest of the songs are also equally good. Sugam’s voice is arresting and the tunes of the songs are so catchy that you can’t help humming them once you hear them. Songs with such tunes rarely have good lyrics but its not the case with lyrics of his songs. Replete with metaphors and synonyms they read like poems and Sugam himself wrote the lyrics.

He is coming up with a new album in recent future and these days he is busy recording songs for this album. With this album Sugam will prove his mettle and show his fans whether he is just another ‘one album wonder’ or a true artist with growth potential.

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