It was not meant to be funny, but coming from a renowned comedian whose every sentence sounds like a joke, many who were present could not help a smile. [break]
Acharya was there to sign a contract with FinePrint, the publisher of this autobiography. ´Cheena Harayeko Manchhe´ is to be launched on April 20, the second death anniversary of his first wife, Meera.
“So what´s there in your book dai,” a question popped as Acharya arrived back from the loo.
“What do you want to know?” he responded.
Acharya speaking in the press meet. (Republica)
“Something interesting…. something not known to the public.”
“Did you know me and Madan (Krishna Shrestha) dai had beer with (late Nepali Congress leader) Ganesh Man dai?” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
“Wow! Really?”
“Yes, that too in the bedroom at his residence (in Thamel).”
The incident goes back to around 1990, just before democracy returned to the country. But if you´re thinking the Supreme Commander of the 1990 People´s Movement was a heavy drinker, think again.
“Ganesh Man dai had gall stone and doctors recommended he take beer occasionally,” explained Acharya, whose outstanding television dramas include ´Bhakunde Bhoot´, ´Laal Purja´ and “Dashain´.
Those were the days when Ganesh Man was fighting for the restoration of democracy. Acharya and Madan Krishna Shrestha, together known as the ´MaHa´ duo, were also looking for change and had supported the democratic movement.
“Their purpose the same, they kind of clicked. And Ganesh Man used to miss the duo and query about them,” Amar Neupane, editor of Acharya´s biography, told Republica.
Acharya was born on October 9, 1958 in Shankhu near Panauti. His parents had performed the Hari Bansha Puran rites after the birth of a series of daughters. That´s why he was named Hari Bansha.
Acharya´s father was 76 at the time of his birth and died not long after. The family migrated to Kathmandu and his mother passed away when he was 11. His sisters brought him up.
“When he was little, his mother wanted him to become a priest,” Neupane said. “She got him into a Sanskrit school. But he was mischevious, and would bunk classes and get into pranks.”
“Apart from childhood pranks the biography also includes his struggles as an actor, the partnership with Madan Krishna, his political contributions and the personal tragedies. It will make readers both laugh and weep,” Neupane said.
But what made Acharya sit down and write it?
“It was not planned,” Acharya said. “I used to occasionally jot down some incidents. The writing got serious after the death of my wife (Meera).”
Following her death on April 20, 2011 following a heart attack, Acharya would be depressed most of the time. “There was no vigor left in my life and I couldn´t go for shoots or do any other work,” he said.
He started writing about the moments he shared with her. He had married her after a long courtship. “I thought it would help forget the past. But tears would roll down and blot the page,” he said. Yet he kept on writing.
A fortuneteller´s prediction that a khadga, or misfortune equivalent to death, would befall her at age 47. “She kind of had this conviction that she´d die soon. At such times she even told him not to marry again,” Neupane said. “But since she had been on a pacemaker for more than two decades, Acharya used to reassure her, saying nothing would happen, thanks to technological advancements.”
But he married Ramila after Meera´s death. “Acharya has defended this, saying ideals and reality are two different things,” according to Neupane. “While he still cherishes her love immensely, he could not disregard the love bestowed by Ramila. And he is happier now than in those days following Meera´s death.
“There´s more in the book. It´s a good read.”
Acharya said 25 percent of the book´s content is already known to the public. “The rest is very personal stuff,” he said, thanking his friend Dr Rabindra Samir who encouraged him to write it.
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