Evolving Nepali Cinema Industry

Nepali cinema does not have a long history like Hollywood and Bollywood. The first Nepali movie Aama was produced in 1965 AD. Nepali movies have been produced and screened in the cinema theaters, mostly in the cities. Most cinema halls are in operation in the capital city. The Nepali cinema industry has failed to make desired progress over the years because of various reasons like low quality, low production budget, lack of quality acting, poor story and limited audience.

As the Hindi movies have the highest occupancy in the Nepali theatres from the beginning. Even the new Nepali movies had to struggle to find enough show time as the Hindi movies were highly preferred by Nepali audiences as well as hall owners. The status of the Nepali cinema changed with the blockbuster hit ‘Loot’ which was directed by Nischal Basnet. Released in 2012, the movie earned Rs 25.5 million and remains a trendsetter in the Nepali film industry. The movie proved that even Nepali cinemas are worth watching and attracted a whole new generation of domestic filmgoers. Nepali films are also grossing significant collections in countries where a large number of Nepalese reside. Nepali films are also increasing their presence in international film festivals.

 Earlier almost every Nepali movie produced was based on similar stories where the character mostly used to be sick, poor, dominated, humiliated or suffering at the beginning of the movie. These movies used to receive benefits from the sentiment of the viewers towards the ill condition of the characters.

Now many quality cinemas like Kagbeni, Sano Sansar, Mero Euta Saathi Chha, and First Love were also produced. They had improved qualities in terms of presentation, performance, story and technical superiority. The shift in the paradigm of the Nepali cinema industry was a must and’Loot ’did it. Movies like Loot, Kabbadi Kabbadi, Pashupati Prasad, Kohinoor, and Chakka Panja have set benchmarks with their excellent box office returns as well as ushering in new standards of cinema making in the domestic film industry. With the arrival of a new generation of moviemakers and actors actresses the dimension of Nepali cinema is getting broader and better with each passing day. And contrary to the traditional style of film this new breed of directors do not hesitate to experiment and take bold risks. Chakka Panja produced recently has become a box -office hit across the country. It has proved that the audience visits theatres to watch a Nepali movie if the movie is of high quality. This positive shift is a win, win situation for the country’s film industry and the audience.