Actress Benisha Hamal Steps into Filmmaking as Executive Producer for 'The Blue Light'

Kathmandu. Actress Benisha Hamal has joined the growing list of actresses venturing into film production. She is the executive producer for the film 'The Blue Light'. Releasing this Friday, this film is not just another project for her; it is a test of her hard work, investment, and new dreams.

When she was only an actress, she only needed to focus on her role, but she says that becoming a producer has significantly broadened the scope of responsibility. 'The work from film promotion to release keeps me running from morning till evening,' she tells Ratopati, 'There is immense pressure to manage promotion, marketing, hall arrangements, and the balance of the financial aspects.'

Making a film is one thing, but releasing it and drawing audiences to the theaters is another major challenge. Benisha has experienced this reality up close this time. 'Releasing a film is much harder than making one,' she shares her experience.

She is also concerned that the current political climate and election discussions might affect the film's business. As the executive producer, she is accountable not only for her acting but also for every technical and financial aspect related to the film. She states that she is conscious about ensuring that no one points fingers and that all work is transparent.

Benisha became involved in the role of executive producer for the film not through a planned strategy, but through opportunity and belief in the script. She was initially involved in the film as an actress.

'I was involved in the film for a certain remuneration. They asked me to become the executive producer by keeping that remuneration as shares,' she says, 'I also liked the film's script.'

She explains that her decision to become a producer was not to earn money but to support a good script and the vision of a new maker. The film's director is Baliram Chauhan. Chauhan, who is also the writer, is debuting as a director with this film. 'I supported the production because the script was good and I saw potential in the director; such films are not made often,' Benisha says, 'I got involved because why not support a new maker who comes with a new vision.'

'The Blue Light' is a psychological thriller. It stars Arpan Thapa, Srishti Shrestha, Ayushman Deshraj Joshi, and herself in lead roles. Looking at the film's released trailer, it can be inferred that she plays a dual role in the film. However, she states that her main character in the film is named 'Maya.'

Her character in the film represents the current generation, which has high expectations in relationships and suffers psychological trauma when those expectations are not met. According to Benisha, this movie subtly presents the impact of human relationships on a person's mental state, rather than focusing on career success.

She mentions that the roles of Arpan and Ayushman are 'suspenseful' and cannot be revealed yet. Srishti, on the other hand, plays the antagonist.

'Generally, in Nepali films, female characters are shown in a certain 'negative' light, but here Srishti will be seen in a complex character, different from that,' Benisha says. Benisha believes that her and Srishti's impactful acting collaboration has made the film stronger.

Looking at Benisha's film career, few of her films have been commercially successful, while many have been critically acclaimed. She states that an artist's success cannot be measured by box office arithmetic alone.

'A film being successful and a film being good are two different things,' she says, 'Sometimes, even commercially unsuccessful films have given me reasons to be proud as an actress.'

Benisha, who believes that a film might fail but an honest artist never fails, says that despite having many unsuccessful films, she has never lacked work because she has been 100% honest in her work.

'I believe criticism should also be constructive,' she says, 'It helps in sharpening oneself.'

Many may not know that Benisha has also formally studied direction in India. She owns her production house, 'Mohori Pictures,' through which she directed a short film titled 'Missing Bride,' which is also available on YouTube. For her, production and direction are two sides of the same coin. She believes this production experience will provide a strong foundation for her to direct a full-length feature film in the future.

'I always want to tell women-centric stories,' Benisha says about her desire to move into direction, 'There are many untold stories of women in our society that need to be brought to the screen.' She is also preparing to produce and direct a film under her own banner. However, the genre of the film has not yet been decided. She shares that her priority lies with women's emotions and struggles.