Nepali Film Shoots Disrupted as Election Fever Grips Nation

As election fervor rises across the country, its direct impact is being felt in the Nepali film industry. The shooting of more than half a dozen films currently in progress has been affected by the elections. Some films have had their shooting halted midway, while others have had to change their entire schedule due to the elections.

The elections have impacted the work of films featuring veteran Nepali cinema artists and directors like Neer Shah, as well as popular actors Nikhil Upreti and actress Rekha Thapa. While some filmmakers consider this impact minor compared to the great task of nation-building, others stated that they halted shooting to participate in the elections themselves and with their colleagues.

Senior artist and director Neer Shah, known as the 'Bhishma Pitamaha' of the Nepali film industry, is currently shooting his film 'Kamala Miss' at Millennium School in Imadol, Lalitpur, marking his return to direction after nearly a decade. After shooting in various locations in Lalitpur for the past 17 days, the team reached Millennium School, and 70 percent of the film's shooting is complete. For Shah, who has given classic films like 'Basudev' and 'Basanti', this film is a matter of prestige. Nevertheless, he decided to halt shooting for two days for the elections.

'As a citizen of this country, it is my duty to fulfill my responsibility in an important process like the election,' he says, 'Stopping the shoot incurs some extra cost. But that is minor compared to the great task of the election.' Shah stated that a few days of shooting can be rescheduled, but the election comes only once in five years after it concludes, so he is taking a break from shooting to participate.

Shah, who has acted in over 300 films, has directed about a dozen films.

In the film 'Kamala Miss', director Shah is working alongside lead actors Basna Timilsina, Shivam Saraf Chhetri, Aarav Dahal, Bhavana Magar, Sushant Kumar Shrestha, and Jayanta Regmi. This time he is working with a new generation of artists. He says that working with the new generation of artists gives him more energy with excitement. Umesh Malla and Chaitanya Pradhan are the executive producers of this film presented by the Umesh Malla Memorial Foundation.

Similarly, the shooting for the film 'Karki Saina' is taking place in Sahidbhumi Rural Municipality, Dhankuta. The shooting for this film, starring Jitu Nepal, who has made his mark in the comedy genre, started on Falgun 12. Sixty percent of the film is complete. If the election had not occurred, the shooting would have concluded in the next five to six days. However, Jitu and other artists are preparing to return to Kathmandu to cast their votes, halting the shoot.

'As artists, traveling back and forth during shooting increases unexpected expenses for air tickets and other arrangements,' Jitu said, 'But the election comes only once in five years.' He prioritizes the right to vote over expenses.

The film, directed by Rajendra Basnet, features artists including Jitu, Priyana Acharya (Munni), Sushil Pokharel, Birendra Singh Kushwaha, Manshi Sharma, Manil Tamang, Renuka Acharya, Dipson Limbu, Rhoda Rai, and Kamal Devkota. All artists will return to their respective locations for the shoot. The producer of this film, which will be made under the banner of Karnabahadur Films Pvt. Ltd., is Balkumar Rai.

Action star Nikhil Upreti and Barsha Siwakoti are starring together for the first time in the film 'Kasturi', which is currently being shot in various locations in Kathmandu. Directed by Ritu Bohora, this film is based on a mystery and crime story. Shooting for this film, which took place at an office in Naxal on Sunday, will stop from Monday. The reason is both Holi and the elections.

Nikhil stated that shooting for his film would be forcibly stopped because various sectors, including transportation, would be closed due to the elections.

'Our country's system is more focused on shutting down and stopping things rather than keeping things running,' he says, 'Stopping the shoot puts a financial burden on the producer.' He estimates that this will cause a loss to the entire film industry. However, he admits there is no alternative but to stop work when transportation is shut down.

This film features Shekhar Chapagai, Nirmal Sharma, Nisha Adhikari, Arjun Gurung, Bholaraj Sapkota, Sabee Thapa, Prashant KC, Santosh Baniya, Subash Banjara, Meera Pandit, Ghanshyam Joshi, Shreya Shrestha, Pratishtha Thapa, Neha Gautam, Gaurav Pahari, and Hena NagarKoti alongside Nikhil and Barsha. The producer of this film, made under the banner of Ten Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., is Dhiraj Kumar Agarwal.

Director Laxman Paudel of the reality show 'The Voice of Nepal' is currently shooting the film 'Bhatbhate' in Dhanusha. He is directing this film, based on a story by Nayanraj Pandey, centered around motorcycles. Fifty percent of the film is complete. However, the team is rushing to halt shooting due to the elections and return to Kathmandu. He mentions that the shooting had to be stopped, causing financial loss to the producer.

'Our belief is that no one should be deprived of the right to vote, no matter how difficult it is,' says Director Paudel, 'Work that could be finished with one trip has now turned into four trips.' Despite the added financial burden and physical fatigue, he plans to resume shooting after the elections on Chaitra 24.

This film stars Anjana Baraili, Sabin Karki of 'Cartoonz Crew', Rabindra Jha, and Pramod Agrahari in lead roles.

Director Ganeshdev Pandey's film 'Pari Butwal' is in its final stages of shooting. Director Ganeshdev Pandey stated that 90 percent of the work on this film, starring veteran artists like Anup Baral and Diya Maskey, is complete.

'If we didn't have to stop shooting for the election, the shooting would have been completely finished in the next five days,' Pandey says, 'The shooting is currently stopped due to the elections and Holi.'

He mentioned that the elections have increased the film's budget, disrupted the schedules of technicians and artists, and caused additional stress for the producers.

Pandey shares that this entire situation is accepted because the election is a great task of nation-building.

'There is a separate excitement in our team to choose new people and elect good people with the hope of change in the country,' Pandey adds, 'We have decided to prioritize the election and complete the remaining shooting afterward.'

This film features Divya Dev, Kameshwor Chaurasiya, Kiran Shrestha, and new artist Abiral Pratap Adhikari in lead roles alongside Anup and Diya.

Actress Rekha Thapa was scheduled to return to direction after about seven to eight years with her film 'Maya Bhanne Yestai Hola', which was announced coinciding with Shivaratri. Her schedule was set for shooting immediately after the announcement. Due to the intervening elections, she has postponed her entire schedule.

Director Thapa stated that although the schedule was set to start shooting from Chaitra 10, they decided to take the film to the floor only on Chaitra 25, considering the elections and the subsequent situation. This time, Rekha will not be seen in front of the camera; she is solely focused on direction.

'This time, I feel like a 'confirmed director',' Rekha said. Thapa, who considers participating in the election her duty, recently completed work on her other film '36 Ko Aankada' a few days ago.

'Not just me, everyone should participate in the election,' she continues, 'Shooting would have stopped just a few days after starting. It was better to postpone the entire schedule rather than stopping midway.'

This film will feature Madan Krishna Shrestha, Dil Shrestha, former Miss Nepals Srishti Shrestha, Namrata Shrestha, and former Miss Nepal International Niti Shah, Laxmi Giri, Rajaram Poudel, Bishal Pahari, Sangam Bhandari, Sujata Shrestha, and Binod Poudel in acting roles. The producers are Harinarayan Shrestha and Mayadevi Shrestha.