The first independent feature film shot almost entirely in Nepal by an international director and crew, Highway to Dhampus is special for actor Raj Ballav Koirala as it marks his debut to international audience, along with other Nepali actors Suesha Rana and Desh Bhakta Khanal.
Releasing in Nepal on Friday, September 25, the premiere of the film was held at Qfx Kumari, Kamalpokhari, on Thursday.
Republica caught up with Koirala, who recently flew in from the US for the Nepal release of Highway to Dhampus, to talk about his experience of working with an international cast and crew, his expectations from the film, and why it's "not about numbers anymore" for him.Tell us about your experiences of working with international filmmakers.
It was a great experience, and since I've been a film student myself, it was a delight to have a feel for what I had studied back in college. The team was very articulate and prepared for everything beforehand. Everyone was given a script before the shooting and we had a couple of meetings and reading sessions together with all the team members. That helped us understand the objective of the film, and the objective of the character we played. Every evening we prepared and rehearse for the scene to be shot the next day, followed by meetings with the director and the technicians. At the end of each day, we were given the call/worksheet for the following day. Everyone was disciplined, and that just showed how serious they were about the film. To sum it up, I learnt all the good qualities of a filmmaker and an actor.
So how did you actually land a role in Highway to Dhampus?
Someone working for FiftyFilms asked for my email and Skype ID, and an audition via Skype was set up with Producer John De Blas Williams. I had been given two scenes to prepare for, which I had to act out online. Later, I had to go through a second round of audition for Director Rick McFarland, and that's when I found out I was chosen.
Rick explained the character he had envisioned, and I worked on the physical and psychological attributes for the same. Since I was playing a pilot, I consulted a pilot friend and learnt his mannerisms and body language. I also studied the planes I would be supposedly flying in the movie and also familiarized myself with the plane's cockpit. Since Rick himself has been a pilot, he knew exactly what he wanted from the character, and that helped tremendously.
Since the film has already done well in film festivals worldwide, what are your expectations from the Nepali audience?
I'm hoping that my fellow countrymen will like and appreciate Highway to Dhampus as much as the world has. Rick has done a wonderful job, and despite being a Hollywood film, the story, characters, and their emotions have a Nepali feel to it. It's a fine mix of Hollywood and Nepalipan.
What are your future plans? Any movie in the pipeline?
"I have no plans, I just have dreams"—that's my favorite dialogue from my film Apabad and it's my mantra now.
Well, I've been getting offers for Nepali movies but it's not about numbers anymore; the audiences today are smart, so I'll only be back when a script rings the bell. I'm sure my audiences will understand why I've been taking so much time.