Movie, a moving picture on the silver screen carries a great amount of entertainment value in all over the world and Nepal is not an exception. Nepali audience is centering towards Nepali movies over some time. Despite plenty of challenges, Nepali cinema has been capable of entertaining the Nepali audience in Nepal and abroad since the 1960s. Hitherto existing Nepali movie making is indebted to the cinema of yesteryears.
Nepali film debuted a hundred years after the beginning of the world cinema with Aama in 1964 AD. The contemporary government initiated movie making as a means of entertainment for Nepali people with the production of Aama. The first Nepali language film is Satya Harishchandra, which is produced in the year 1951. Despite being a second movie Aama is considered a first Nepali movie because Satya Harishchandra is produced in India and Aama is produced by the Information Department of His Majesty’s Government of Nepal.
Maitighar is one of the memorable movies in Nepali cinema. It is a first Nepali film produced under a private banner under the name of Sumonanjali Films Pvt. Ltd. which is released in 1966. The film has a plentitude of Indian and Nepali contributors and the movie is also praised by a sheer Nepali movie lover for its sonorous song. Still today the song from the film carries nostalgia for Nepali audience of all age. One of the interesting facts to add up here is, the popular place currently in Kathmandu, Maitighar was named after the movie where the office with the name Maitighar was set up during filming it. The film was made on the budget of Rs. 7 Lakh. The investment in the film was very high. The film couldn’t recover half of its investment. And also the film couldn’t make a profit in the absence of proper theatres in Nepal.
Later in the year 1971, the Nepali government took an interest in the production of Nepali film. Eventually, movies like Mann Ko Baadh, Kumari, Sindoor, and Jeewan Rekha were successfully presented to the audience from 1971 to 1980.
The monotony of Black & White movies was ended by the first Nepali color movie, Kumari in the year 1977. The success of the movies from 1964 encouraged private parties to set foot into the movie-making. A new chapter was added in history with the release of Juni. The movie was released in 1983, is a second movie after Maitighar produced in private investment of Rs. 17 Lakh. Despite the movie was a commercial failure, Nepali cinema took a speed after its release. The first commercially successful film is Kaanchhi, released in the year 1984.
In the time gone by, Basudev was made as a first Nepali movie based on a book in 1985. It is a cinematic version of “Kattel Sir Ko Chotpatak”, written by popular novelist Durba Chandra Gautam. It is also believed that from this movie Nepali cinema entered into the second phase of cinema making. Unlike the trend of that era, the movie was shot in 16mm and projected in 35 mm by the blow-up technique. It was the first experimental step in Nepali cinema. Thereafter the most sellable genre of today was explored i.e. comedy in 1985 (shot in 2041 and released in 2042 BC) with the release of the film K Ghar K Dera.
In the history of Nepali cinema, Biswas is marked as a first movie whose production and post-production were completed in 3 different countries. The film was shot and edited in Nepal, developed in Thailand and song recording including mixing was completed in India. It was released in the year 1986. Released in the same year Kusume Rumal is rewarded as the first film to achieve Silver Jubilee in the history of Nepali Cinema.
Nepal was totally depended on India for 30 years even after the inception of Nepali film-making. Since there was no proper film laboratory in Nepal, all the shot films used to be sent to India for the purpose of processing, editing, printing, preparing trailer, posters, stickers, and photoset. Even after the establishment of a film laboratory, it was not possible to complete a movie –making independently in Nepal since it lacked an optical transfer system until the year (2053) 1996…… Nepal became technically independent after the connection of optical fiber with the movie Pratichhya in 1996. In the history of Nepali cinema for the first time, whole dynamics of the film i.e. pre-production, production, post-production including sound mixing were achieved in Nepal. It has been taken as the greatest achievement in cinema making in Nepal.
Started with the Black & White projection on 35mm screen, Nepali cinema today cherishes achievement along with the evolution of Digital Technology. While recalling milestone in Nepali cinema, Quest Entertainment has to be noted for playing a significant role to create a foundation for movie making in the digital arrangement. It inspired movie makers to replace expensive analog system setting horizon free for all kinds of movie makers. With the commencement of digital system, independent and bold filmmakers bobbed up with popularly known as an organic idea to amuse the audience from the new generation. Hence, Quest is treasured for the germination of a digital system with the production of movies like Kagbeni and Sano Sansar in 2008. Kagbeni is still recalled as out of the box concept in Nepali Cinema. Nepali movies are garnering widespread commercial success with the arrival of the new generation movie makers and digital arrangement.
Over a period of time, technically savvy film directors and producers are presenting a variety of films such as regional, historical, organic and also based on books. The movie-making business has been transformed with the increasing interest of new generation movie makers. The good movies have enjoyed sheer success so far. A decade back the greatest success of movie used to be measured on the basis of the number of the hold-over days a movie keeps in the theatre. On the contrary, nowadays scale of earning has become an indicator of the success of a movie.
So far Loot, a blockbuster film of 2012 is regarded as a trendsetter with the earning 25.5 million rupees. The movie plays a prominent role to pave a path for organic movies. While mentioning about the movies doing out-standing business in the history of Nepali cinema, Kohinoor is another blockbuster, released in 2014. It broke all the domestic box office records collecting 120 million. The record was shattered by Chakka Panja series. And the most recent top grosser is Chakka Panja 3 with the collection 180 million. Kalo Pothi is overseas highest grosser with the collection of 45 million rupees.
International recognition is an enthralling experience for the contributors of Nepali cinema. From time to time we get to notice Nepali cinema achieving international recognition. Regardless of its failure to make a remarkable appearance in Oscar, one shouldn’t let slip from the memory the first name of the movie sent for the Oscar. Caravan made history as a first Nepali film to be nominated in Oscar in 2000. With the increasing interest of the foreign market and good cinema makers, let’s be hopeful about the fact that Nepali cinema will be able to bag an award in the days to come.
Nepali cinema-goers are increasing these days because of good content in the film, acting, cinematography, and quality of cinema theatres. Tracing back to the records, a movie like Maitighar was unable to recover the investment despite having potential due to lack of good cinema theatres in Nepal. Keeping this fact into consideration attempt like setting up well-facilitated theatres as QFX is one of the biggest achievements for Nepali Cinema. Soon after the foundation of QFX, debate like either movie belongs to mass or class was begun. Both the movie makers and goers are assured about their expenses of money and time with good cinema outlets. Bettering the cinema experience with alluring ambience, technology, comfort and convenience, QFX stands tall from the crowd of a traditional cinema theatre in Nepal.
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