Dear ‘New Age’ Nepali Filmmakers,

FROM ISSUE # 174 (June 2010) | IN THIS ISSUE
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The last remaining years of the great noughties were a boon for Nepali cinema. Most of you came out with films that were refreshing. You took us to the Himalaya and proved that an engaging homemade feature film can be possible even without the lavish grandeur. You showed us contemporary stories, some outlandish, others more relevant. You made rom-coms, a (pseudo) actioner and even a remake of a popular Korean movie. You made stars out of models and theatre actors, made a name for yourselves from your day job as music video directors. Most of your audiences were enthralled, others shrugged to the idea of a new wave of Nepali cinema. The initial response to your efforts was encouraging. Although people didn't flock in droves to the theatres, most of you got return of your investment. Overall, Nepali cinema breathed a dose of fresh air for the first time in a long time.

But this is not going to last. These movies, which you dub 'new age', are pale in comparison to contemporary cinema in other nations. They may have been brilliant compared to the state of Nepali cinema, but they have a long way to go to be world class. Perhaps the reason your movies did well was because the people exposed to international film-making were so jaded with Rajesh Hamal's blatant heroics and Rekha Thapa's pompous splendours that they needed an immediate relief. So now that the initial excitement of being treated with something (relatively) novel is gone, you shouldn't take Nepali audiences for granted.

By now, most of you have announced your second or third projects. And it is a bit disconcerting to see that most of them are predictable rehashes of Bollywood formulas. Just being a little different in technique or story-line doesn't make you 'new age'. Respect the intelligence and discretion of your audiences by exploring original stories, new themes, ones that can compete even in the global arena. The Thai director  who bagged the Golden Palm in Cannes this year. When will we?

Not trying at all is a shame, so is not trying hard enough.

Regards,
Malin