Film 'Kumari' Team Engages Youth on Expectations from Nepali Cinema and Media

Kathmandu. What expectations does the younger generation hold for Nepali cinema, music, and media? The film 'Kumari' explored this very subject among university students. At an event held on Thursday at the Nepal Academy's Dabali in Kamaladi, over 500 young students from various campuses shared their views on this topic.

The film team of 'Kumari,' along with Nepal Academy member and Madan Puraskar-winning author Amar Neupane, journalist Naresh Bhattarai, director Dinesh Raut, writer Bikash Subedi, producer Mahendra Adhikari, singer Kehar Singh Limbu, and members of his band, addressed the questions raised by the students.

Thirty youths participating in the program shared their perspectives on Nepali cinema, music, and media. The youth expressed happiness that such programs allowed them to voice their feelings openly.

Participating youths praised director Dinesh Raut's previous films, stating that film is a medium for understanding life. "We don't just go to the cinema hall to spend time. Film must show our culture; it must have originality," said one student. While mentioning social media as a major medium influencing youth, students expressed concern over the exaggeration often found in some reviews.

Regarding the film's music, they stated, "In songs, emotion is needed more than the hero-heroine romance. Music should not just be for entertainment; it must be able to connect with life."

'Kumari' actor Abhishek Khadka shared that although he was heavily influenced by Western films, he is happy that Nepali cinema has made strides recently. He urged everyone to be confident that the film 'Kumari' is what the latest generation desires.

Journalist Naresh Bhattarai urged the youth to be cautious and understand everything they see on media and social media before believing it. Author Amar Neupane clarified the relationship between literature and cinema. He said, "If literature is written with a pen, cinema is literature written with a camera."

'Kumari' writer Bikash Subedi stated that youth pessimism is fatal for the country. He claimed that the film 'Kumari' would remove pessimism towards Nepali films, at least to some extent.

Directed by Dinesh Raut, 'Kumari' marks the debut of Abhishek Khadka and Aakriti Rajbhandari in lead roles. The film also features performances by Ghanshyam Joshi, Sunita Shrestha, Akanksha Karki, Madhu Khadka, Sanam Shrestha, Saku Shah, Saroj Lamichhane, Manasha Sharma, and others.

The film, produced under the banner of Binish Entertainment, has Kedar Bhusal as the executive producer.