The discussion took place on Tuesday at Nepal Tourism Board, Kathmandu.[break]
Actors like Neer Shah, Karishma Manandhar, Rekha Thapa, Binita Baral, along with feminist advocate Sapana Pradhan Malla, movie directors and media persons joined in the discussion.
Babita Basnet, President of Media Advocacy Group, said, “Change isn’t always bad but we’ve to know what kind of change we’re looking for. Recent Nepali movies have been pulling crowds and earning well. But is this the change we’re looking for? Women’s dignity must be considered when we bring in changes.”
Recently, movies like “Loot” and “Chapali Heights” had created a stir in Nepal. The latter movie, however, was much scrutinized and blamed for promoting sex to sell the movie on its posters and in movie trailers.
The Film Censor Board, Nepal, censors movies before they hit the theaters and grades them accordingly. A (Adult), PG (Parental Guidance) and U/A (Under Age) certificates are issued to movies after being reviewed by the panel in the Censor Board.
Binita Baral, actress of Chapali Heights, said that she’s apologetic to people who have seen the movie and who found it offending.
Talking along the same line, Arjun Kumar, the director of the movie, said, “We didn’t intend to make the movie vulgar and it’s not. People who are calling it vulgar haven’t seen the movie and I’m more than happy to screen it for them. But then, for people who’ve seen it and still consider it vulgar and offending, I apologize to them.”
Actress Rekha Thapa, who’s been active in Nepali films for 10 years, said that girls nowadays give away to the directors’ decisions very easily and act accordingly. “In my career till date, I have never done anything that would offend the public and no directors have approached with such ideas,” she shared.
Keeping the recent movies in mind, the Film Censor Board, Nepal, have set up a separate committee that will censor scripts before the movie starts production.
Veteran actor and director Neer Shah, in the same context, said, “It’s sad that movie scripts are to be censored. I would call on the Board to include representatives from the Bar Association, Women’s Association, and Cultural Association to be in the committee as members.”
He also reiterated that the time has come for the Board to categorize movies and issue the permission to screen in different halls.
The thin line between glamour and being vulgar was also tabled for discussion.
“There should be no censoring and the directors themselves need to be aware of the fine line between glamour and vulgarism,” said Rajendra Salab He added that India has plenty of C- grade movies and that they are screened in different halls.
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