Panchami Ghimire: Carrying the Legacy of Tulsi Ghimire into Nepali Cinema

Kathmandu. The Nepali film industry has a long history of 'star kids'. While some have upheld their legacy, others have faded away. Adding to this crowd is Panchami Ghimire, the youngest daughter of veteran director Tulsi Ghimire.

She made her debut in the Nepali film industry with the film 'Pahad', directed by her father, Tulsi. Released on Baisakh 1 to mark the New Year, the film has been well-received by audiences. She has been visiting various theaters to gauge the response to 'Pahad' and is quite encouraged by the feedback.

'I am very encouraged by the love and blessings shown by the audience in the theaters,' she said. 'The audience has really appreciated the depth and emotional aspect of the film.' According to Panchami, who has been regularly visiting theaters since the day of the release, the audience has described the film's subject matter as touching.

She mentions that although the film is good and emotional, some viewers complain that they were unaware of its release due to limited promotion. She says, 'Many viewers told us they only found out about the film after coming to the theater, and they complained that such a good film should have been discussed more.'

Before the film's release, Panchami felt more fear than excitement. Even after watching the film hundreds of times in the editing room, presenting herself to the audience on the big screen was not easy for her.

'As an artist, I was afraid of how the audience would perceive me and how my acting would be,' she revealed the reason for her fear. 'I was worried about whether the audience would be able to watch me on screen throughout the film.' However, the positive response from the film and the audience has now boosted her confidence.

Panchami had thought about acting since she was a child, but it was never certain when or how she would enter the field. Initially, her parents did not want to see her enter acting. Having seen the family's financial situation and the ups and downs of a film career up close, she herself did not have the courage to jump into this field at first.

She studied science in grades 11 and 12, and her goal was to become a doctor. Her friends were in the race to become doctors and engineers. Due to family wishes and the instability of the film industry, she had also thought of adopting a stable profession. She used to think, 'I will become a doctor and help my parents.'

'But the love for films in a corner of my heart had not died. My parents understood my heart and said, "Don't listen to others, do what you want to do. Life is yours, you have to live it. Whatever you do, make a decision with confidence, we are here,"' she said. 'After that, I went to Mumbai and completed my studies in Mass Communication. While studying and working there, I felt that I had made the right decision.'

It is not that she did not receive film offers before 'Pahad'. At the song launch event of 'Darpan Chhaya 2', journalists told her, 'Now you should become a heroine.' But at that time, she lacked confidence.

'I used to think that to be a heroine, one must be extremely beautiful, articulate, and confident. I was very shy and timid,' she says. 'But the experience in Mumbai gave me confidence.' When Shankar Koirala offered her a film two years ago, her mother stopped her, saying, 'She is studying in Mumbai now, she is learning, she needs more time.' She says, 'At that time, I wondered why she stopped me, but today I think that preparation was very necessary for me.'

Artists of Panchami's age usually want to debut with love stories or romantic films, but she chose a film with a social and family theme like 'Pahad'. Explaining the reason for this, she says, 'I wanted to do meaningful work.'

After returning from Mumbai, the biggest obstacle before entering acting was language. Due to living in Mumbai for a long time, her Nepali speaking style was influenced by Hindi and English. Panchami, who initially considered herself proficient in Nepali, was shocked when a friend told her that her speech had an Indian accent. After that, with the help of a friend named Ojaswi, she started reading some old Nepali books. She worked very hard with her friends, parents, and sister for the correct pronunciation of Nepali words.

In 'Pahad', she has played the role of a fearless character named 'Tara'.

'Since the character's nature matched mine, my father suggested I act, and I was ready for the debut,' she said. She mentioned that she had to work very hard for the film's character, dialogue, and accent.

In the film 'Pahad', besides her father Tulsi Ghimire, Panchami got the opportunity to work with the excellent actor Bipin Karki. Although she did not get to be seen with Bipin in many scenes, Panchami had the opportunity to observe his working style, hard work, and dedication to the character closely. She says that the experience of working with Bipin was like an acting college for her.

Panchami plans to continue acting in the coming days. She says that since her whole family is active in the Nepali film industry and loves it, she cannot leave this field.

'I returned to Nepal to nurture the seed that my father planted in our hearts to advance the Nepali film sector,' she said. 'We learned a lot, there might have been some mistakes, but this learning has given me the encouragement to do even better in the coming days.'

• 'Nepotism' Challenge

It is not easy for Panchami, the daughter of director Tulsi Ghimire—who gave many timeless films from 'Kusume Rumal', 'Chino', 'Dui Thopa Aansu' to 'Darpan Chhaya'—and actress Bharati Ghimire, to move forward carrying the weight of the legacy. 'Nepotism' is widely discussed in Nepali films these days. Panchami does not deny the privilege she received as Tulsi Ghimire's daughter. However, she says that a great responsibility and pressure have come along with this privilege.

'There is a great trust from the audience when it comes to a Tulsi Ghimire film. While other artists just need to give 100 percent, the audience expects 1000 percent from me,' she says. 'I have grown up in a film environment since I was a child; I have no luxury to be afraid or uncomfortable seeing the camera.' She takes this opportunity as a blessing and is happy to receive a share of the love the audience has for her parents.