Nepali Film Shoots Resume After Election Pause; Key Projects Restart Production

Kathmandu. Actress Rekha Thapa is currently busy directing the film ‘Maya Bhanne Kai Yasto Hola’. Returning to direction after about eight years, she began shooting the film on Monday at the Royal Tulip National Park in Shivapuri, Kathmandu.

This film, announced coinciding with the occasion of Mahashivaratri, was scheduled to start shooting from Falgun 10, but she changed the schedule due to the intervening elections. Rekha stated that rather than shooting for a few days and stopping again for the elections, she set the schedule for after the 25th.

Rekha will not be appearing in front of the camera this time. She is solely focused on directing. ‘In this film, I am only the director,’ Rekha said.

Rekha's film features actors including Madan Krishna Shrestha, Dil Shrestha, former Miss Nepals Srishti Shrestha, Namrata Shrestha, and Niti Shah, along with Laxmi Giri, Rajaram Poudel, Bishal Pahadi, Sangam Bhandari, Sujata Shrestha, and Binod Poudel.

Films that were voluntarily halted due to the elections in the country are rapidly returning to ‘action-cut’. The work on many films had stopped as artists, technicians, and directors had to travel to their respective hometowns to cast their votes.

The shooting for the film ‘Kamala Miss’, directed by veteran artist and director Neer Shah, considered the ‘Bhishma Pitamaha’ of the Nepali film industry, concluded on Tuesday. The shooting, which had been halted from the 18th due to the elections with some work remaining, resumed the very next day after the election (the 22nd).

Shah has returned to direction through this film after nearly a decade. The film's line producer, Puskar Lama (Prem Bhomjan), says they were successful in starting the shooting from the 22nd because many unit members did not have to travel far to cast their votes.

‘Since the shooting was in Kathmandu, the elections did not cause much trouble,’ Lama said, ‘Even though it stopped for a few days, the shooting was completed in 23 days.’

According to Lama, the three-day halt due to the elections did not significantly affect the shooting costs. ‘Kamala Miss’, based on a psychological story, stars director Shah along with Ramesh Budhathoki, Basana Timilsina, Shivam Saraf Chhetri, Aarav Dahal, Bhawana Magar, Sushant Kumar Shrestha, Jayanta Regmi, Suresh Thapa, Rajan KC, and Sanjay Khatiwada in lead roles. The story is by Bijay Malla, and the screenplay and dialogues were prepared by Neer Shah and Prajal Dulal.

Similarly, the shooting for the film ‘Karki Syanla’ resumed from the 24th. The film, being shot in Sahidbhumi Rural Municipality of Dhankuta, was halted from the 19th due to the elections. Jitu Nepal, known for his work in the comedy genre, stars in the main role. The actor Nepal stated that the shooting was scheduled to start from the 22nd, but it was delayed by two days due to the death of a technician.

‘If we hadn't had to stop due to the elections, the shooting would have been completed by now,’ Jitu said, ‘It will finish in a few more days.’

He shared his eagerness to start the next film, ‘Panch Pandav’, after completing this one.

Jitu shared that although the travel and other arrangements, including air tickets, incurred increased costs due to the mid-shoot interruptions caused by the elections, all team members were happy to have been able to vote.

This film, directed by Rajendra Basnet, features Jitu along with Priyana Acharya (Munni), Sushil Pokharel, Birendra Singh Kushwaha, Manshi Sharma, Manil Tamang, Renuka Acharya, Dipson Limbu, Rhoda Rai, Kamal Devkota, and others in key roles.

The shooting for the film ‘Kasturi’, starring action star Nikhil Upreti, Barsha Siwakoti, and Nisha Adhikari in the lead roles, has also commenced. The filming, which was halted from the 19th for the elections, is taking place at various locations in Kathmandu.

Actress Nisha Adhikari announced on social media that the shooting resumed from the 23rd. Nisha, who contested the election from the ‘Gatishil Loktantrik Party’, stated that she has returned to work, forgetting the loss, although the results were not as expected. She also thanked the team for waiting for her until the election. This film, directed by Ritt Bohora, is based on a mystery and crime story.

Likewise, the shooting for the film ‘Bhatbhatay’, directed by Laxman Paudel of the reality show ‘The Voice of Nepal’, also started from the 24th in Dhanusha. This film, based on a story by Nayanraj Pandey centered around motorcycles, was halted due to the elections with 50 percent of the work remaining. Director Paudel mentioned that the elections caused some financial loss to the producer.

‘We stopped the shooting with the belief that no one should be deprived of the right to vote,’ he said. Anjana Baraili, Sabin Karki, Rabindra Jha, and Pramod Agrahari are in the main roles in this film.

The shooting for director Ganeshdev Pandey's film ‘Pari Butwal’ is also set to begin in a few days. Ninety percent of the work on this film, starring veteran actors like Anup Baral and Diya Maskey, is complete.

‘We plan to start the remaining shooting, which was halted due to the elections, in a few days,’ Pandey said. He stated that although the elections increased the budget and disrupted the schedule, they prioritized the elections with the hope of change in the country.

Meanwhile, the shooting for the film ‘Muktipur’ began on Tuesday. The shooting commenced after a formal launch ceremony at the Indrayani Temple in Vasundhara, Kathmandu. The film, directed by Sunil Pandey, will feature Nazir Hussain, Gaurav Pahari, Prakash Shah, and Evanraj Upreti, with Akriti Budhathoki making her debut. This crime-revenge genre film was started slightly later due to the elections.