Wanted: Quality Nepali films

BRABIM KARKI

There is nothing worse than walking out of the theatre downright angry. At least that’s what happened to me when I went to watch a Nepali film with my friends, after not going to see one for a long time. We were excited to see a product of our own film industry, but, unfortunately,we did not like the movie. It was rather boring with contrived, yakky script,clunky screenplay and didn’t have a powerful story, good acting, making it not worthwhile.

Our classic movies were pretty good with noteworthy stories, melodious songs and good acting. Movies that I watched like Chino, Balidaan were really good. They used to have the entertainment factors that kept the momentum going. But, we hardly find such movies now.We go to watch movies for entertainment, but what is the use if the movies fail to do so.

Some people argue that quality films can’t be made without a big budget. They say that we shouldn’t always compare our movies with foreign ones. But, is the budget the primary reason for poor quality Nepali movies? No, good films can be made even with a small budget. Take the Hindi movie Rock On for example. Though it was a low-budget production, it still rocked the viewers. This just shows that ideas and stories are more important than a large budget. Most of the time, we copy foreign movies or use the same old formula like dhisum dhisum fight scene or oft-repeated story line. If love stories are also portrayed differently, then wouldn’t that be something watchable? .

Most people don’t dare make experimental movies. They are afraid the risk might lead to bankruptcy. But filmmakers need to concentrate more on quality rather than on making money. Let there be a movie based on stories from our novels like Palpasa Café, a movie covering our sports, or some great personality. It would be nice if movies were made on historical events. If the quality of a movie is good, then the earnings would also match it. In recent times, there were a few comparatively good movies like Sano Sansar and Kagbeni that entertained the nation’s youth. However, such movies are very rare.

Producers and directors focus on what has worked in the past, and what will most easily win.But, repeating

the same formula does not necessarily make it a good film or ensure its

popularity.