Nepali films like Saino, Samjhana, Lahure, and Kusume Rumal became evergreen films of the fraternity because the story had the intensity and the execution was neatly taken care of. These films hardly bothered about the cinematography and other unwanted gimmicks.[break]
I agree that when we are dealing with Nepali movies, it would be foolish of one to be expecting them to go any close to Hollywood, not even Bollywood. Nonetheless, one cannot stay blindfolded and overlook all the loopholes that the filmmakers of Nepal never seem to get rid of.
Driector Sudarshan Thapa’s Mero Love Story (MLS) is one such example.
Approximately three hours long, MLS wanes badly with the subplots, screenplay and execution.
The film comes from the same production crew of Mero Euta Saathi Chha, directed by Sudarshan Thapa and produced by Prabhu Shumsher Rana.
Aavash (Aryan Sigdel) is the most sought-after guy, always around with the prettiest ladies.
He doesn’t believe in relationships and is happy being known as a ladies’ man. Nisha (Reecha Sharma) is from Pokhara. She is emotional, is a bookworm, serious about relationships but not ready to get married soon.
Vinay (Vinay Shrestha) is a NRN who has come to Nepal in search of his Nepali bride. Vinay and Aavas are childhood buddies.
Nisha meets Aavash on a bus while she is going back to her hometown. Nisha finally nods to the wedding bells and is soon to tie the knots with Vinay.
The three befriend each other in Pokhara where Nisha lives with her mother (Tripti Nadekar) and her grandmother.
While everything seems to be going well, one evening party, countless tequila shots and the room that the three share together changes the definition of their lives for forever.
Nisha is now pregnant and all three are unaware who the father is. This is the turning point of the film. And everything proceeds too slowly. The clichés follow one after the other. The main theme of the movie is a man and a woman can never be just friends.
Talking about the story, many instances in the film reminds you of Bollywood movie Kya Kehna and Nepali movie – Simos Sunuwar’s First Love. It seems like Nepali movies now have come off the age of Bollywood films of the 1990s and now are catching up with the Karan Johar style of filmmaking. It is still to wonder when we will start afresh!
The only good thing about the movie is the execution of characters; especially the one Reecha Sharma brings to life. In less than three years, actress Reecha Sharma proves herself a potential actor of the silver screen. She not only has the poise, but she understands the basics of acting and goes close to bringing the character alive on screen.
Vinay Shrestha develops his character neatly and delivers as much as the movie requires.
Regarding Aryan Sigdel, it cannot be denied that he is a very promising actor but the director fails to utilize the best of him in MLS. Director Thapa seems too ambitious about Sigdel as he makes him do many such things that do not go well with what the actor can deliver best.
Besides, actor Aryan now seriously needs to be careful about the role he plays. The roles he has chosen in many of his films have now become very stereotypical.
Well, it is a positive sign that Nepali filmmakers are now equally focused on reaching to younger filmgoers of the urban societies. But in this rat race of reaching to younger masses, the filmmakers are overlooking the fact that the younger crowds do not fancy stupid gimmicks and some showoffs.
It is not the designer dresses, clubs of Kathmandu and Pokhara and the peppy numbers that the urban audiences fancy about in a film.
They are presentation, story and execution that every audience looks forward to.
I don’t understand why filmmakers think that actors speaking some of their dialogues in English would really add extra flavors to a movie. There is no harm in speaking in English as long as the characters can carry them off well.
And not to miss why in the world is it necessary to say “What the f***” in a film when it really does not ask for?
The movie moves very slowly with the subplots of the film left haywire. For any movie to run approximately three hours, the screenplay needs to be extremely tight and the story intense. MLS could have been wrapped within two hours to the maximum.
All in all, while director Thapa attempts to make MLS “Farak Dhaarko Cinema” (a new line of mainstream Nepali film), it however remains a typecast.
Screening at QFX Cinemas
The writer is Program Officer at Indian Cultural Centre.
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