Kathmandu:

The premiere of Parkhi Basen was held amidst much fanfare at Gopi Krishna Movies on April 3. Kush Kuma Joshi, President of FNCCI was the chief guest, while well known names from the industry like Nir Shah and Dr Bhola Rizal also graced the function.

Produced by Uddhab Poudyal and directed by Deepak Shrestha, the film is the debut vehicle for Raj Ballav Koirala and Yuna Upreti in the lead.

After the premiere Shrestha said, “We have tried to bring back a love story with a new feel to it. The cast is new and the music has been well appreciated.”

The storyline of Parkhi Basen is not the usual run of the mill and the new faces have added a freshness to it. In the first half we see Raj, who has ambitions of becoming a singer, come to the city with dreams and high hopes, and the hurdles he has to face. It is then that Babu (Nikhil Upreti) comes in as a saviour. Though an alcoholic, he fights for justice. The movie gradually moves and Yuna comes to light, who also aspires to be a singer and is highly impressed with Raj’s voice. Unfortunately it is only when Raj is fighting with hooligans that Yuna sees him and has a very bad impression of him. Raj falls in love with Yuna at first sight. But things aren’t that simple for him. He faces many obstacles and there is a lot of misunderstanding between them.

Though a different story, the typical elements of a Nepali movie still prevail and the difference that it could have generated seems to have been lost somewhere. The actors look good, Yuna with her pretty and charming face and Raj with his height and youthful looks. But they still need a lot of polishing. Upreti has let the new breed take over while he has plays a very subdued yet important character. Though at times the comedians did make the audience laugh, the humour was a bit too loud.

However, the really loud background music is a bit too much for you to handle. And since this is a love story, one feels minus the stunts the film could have actually given the audience something really new.

The movie lacks a natural momentum and the small details that give a movie credence have been overlooked. Sadly this is what the audience will remember the most.

The movie was released simultaneously in 14 different halls in the Valley, along with Birtamod, Damak, Dharan, Narayanghat and Pokhara4. The movie is also slated to be released in Mumbai, Malayasia and Dubai in a few days.