Rabindra Pokharel

Kathmandu:

Bollywood might be making its way swiftly into the international scene, but our own

‘Kollywood’ isn’t hibernating either or so it seems, with the spirit of the national film festival sweeping the entire film fraternity off its feet. The glamour and fame of Bollywood might still be a far cry, of course, but the stalwarts of the Nepali film industry for the first time ever seem to have united together with the slogan, “Nothing ventured, and nothing gained.” But whether or not the industry is yet prepared to make the historic transition is still a question that has ambiguous answers, particularly when the industry has suffered a perennial dearth of new concepts, investment and local patronage. The first ever national film festival began with much fanfare after over four decades of the birth of the first Nepali celluloid film ‘Aama.’ Dev Anand, Manisha Koirala and some distinguished names of the Sri Lankan and Chinese film fraternity will grace the event. The effort to broaden the scope of the industry to international frontiers is commendable. In fact, the Nepali film industry has made considerable

progress, especially, during the early nineties - the period that marked a boom in the Nepali film industry. However, progress has not been satisfactory and the industry has been little successful in stopping film buffs from flocking to watch Hindi cinema.

Kollywood, however, is no longer oblivious to what’s happening around and that shows with new concepts being introduced in Nepali films. It’s gradually stepping into territories that will definitely cross momentous milestones. And the most remarkable development that we’ve witnessed recently is that Kollywood vows not to plagiarise anymore. Altogether, 44 outstanding Nepali films have been nominated for the awards, which will be awarded for the best direction, screenplay, music and cinematography. Though several controversies did their rounds during the nominations, the national film development board denies any charges of prejudice. “We have already made the announcement to present a Bhojpuri film ‘Kab Hoina Milanwa Hamar’ with the Regional Jury Award. And it should be noted that the awards are for the celluloid. We’ve made every possible effort to make the final selection for the awards as transparent as possible,” says Sambhujeet Baskota, chairman, Nepal Film Development Board.

The designated jury will also make the selections for the best sound re-recordist, best child artiste, best actor in a comic role, best film editor, best art director, best fight director, best dance director, best debutant actor, debutante actress, character actor, character actress, best actor in a negative role, actor, actress and director. Apart from all these awards, National Film Board has also made an announcement to honour the evergreen legend of the Hindi Cinema, Dev Anand with the “Film Excellency Honour of Nepal” for his contribution to the Nepali Film Industry.

Says Baskota, “The festival represents the Nepali Film Industry in the best way possible and the selection process has been made as transparent as it could be made. We’ve covered almost all the genres of Nepali Films.”Yadav Kharel, a veteran director and academician, who will preside the jury, believes that the festival would have a “long term impact” on the future of Nepali Film Industry. “It’s the time for us to introspect, self-assess and self-evaluate and correct our past mistakes.” Yadav Kharel who began his career as a programme host in Radio Nepal has the credit of some pathbreaking films in the Nepali film industry. rom ‘Bhanu Bhakta’ (a historic feature film on the life of first Nepali poet), ‘Prem Pinda’(a triangular love story set against the backdrop of the Rana regime) to ‘Cheli Beti’ (a story based on the plight of a girl trafficked to India for prostitution), Kharel has been an inspiration to all newcomers in the industry. “This is a great opportunity for us to honour everyone who’s contributed to the industry,” asserts Kharel.