The second question that strikes your mind as you start watching the film is why promising filmmaker Narayan Puri didn’t work hard on this movie as it has many flaws, and the scenes are not framed in proper sequences. However, this film alone can’t judge Puri’s potential in filmmaking because his last film “Apabad” was much thought provoking.
When many production banners have started shooting movies on 35mm format for better projection and picture quality, producer Dipak Raman producing “Mrityunjaya” in 16mm and stretching it on larger projector screen at cinema halls is one of the biggest minuses of the film.
Now you come to cinematography. Cinematographer Ratna Dhakal needs to go through extensive camera classes. Most of the camera works aren’t eye-appealing at all. Take for example movies like “Kismat” and “Mausam” which were shot in 35mm frame, and they had image clarity and the cinematography was better than average.
Scriptwriter Dinesh Neupane, though not copying stories of Bollywood movies, surely needs to do a lot of homework because when you watch the movie, you gradually realize that there’s no smooth flow in it. It seems the storywriter accumulated tidbits and adjoined them in the film. He forgot that, in the absence of complementing sequences, the sentences turn into an incomplete paraphrase.
What’s more sad about the film is you actually don’t understand what the movie is basically about. Is it about “Mrityunjaya” (death-defiance), as the title suggests, or is it about an innocent Nepali from a remote area of the country who gets cheated by fake manpower agencies, as the story unfolds?
It’s really confusing to come to a conclusion. Neupane seems he overlooked important factors in the film. Though he’s been able to come up with an original story, it’s really difficult to appreciate his work. To compare, Rekha Film’s “Kismat,” which was a Xerox of the Bollywood film “Taal”, was much better because though a look-alike, its presentation was superb, and nothing looked too much.
Talk about choreography: Raju Shah is a known figure in Nepali film fraternity. But was he taking this film very lightly? Did he forget the most essential word for choreographer: “creativity”?
Actor Ramit Dhungana is superb in the action scenes. But when it comes to dancing, you feel like saying, “Hello! Please stop. I can’t take it anymore.” No blame to the actor because it’s after all a choreographer’s job to assign something that’s suitable to an actor. Was it mandatory to make Ramit dance along with Sanchita Luitel even when he looks like a robot making modern moves? However, Sanchita performs all her moves gracefully. Well, that’s because she knows what dancing is all about.
Not to miss one dance number of the film where Luitel and Dhungana wear Gujrati and Punjabi dresses. It has no connection with the film. The actors are from a remote Nepali village, and both of them are Brahmins in the film. So what has Gujrati and Punjabi getup to do in the film? This is the time when you laugh at the choreography. How would it look if village people, who’ve never been to urban cities, come to town and participate in a salsa competition?
To give you the little synopsis of the film, “Mrityunjaya” unfolds with Ajay Subedi (Ramit) who wants to go abroad to work because he’s allured by his friend’s talk on how the Gulf countries provide handsome money and instant popularity. But the only son of his father Mukunda Shrestha, the man doesn’t want his son to leave home in his old age. So he has Ajay married to Sanchita. However, Ajay decides to leave the village. And one rainy night, he leaves when everyone is sleeping. While crossing the river, he falls into it and is declared dead by the villagers. But as predicted, he didn’t die. He reaches Kathmandu where one manpower company cheats him. He goes back home and there are many fight scenes.
It’s as if all the renowned names related with this film didn’t actually want to work hard on it. Even the most sought-after action director Rajendra Khadgi has failed to deliver his exceptional fight scenes and moves in “Mrityunjaya.” His junior Himal KC had rather surprised everyone by producing new fight moves in Shyam Bhattarai’s “Mausam.”
To conclude, director Narayan Puri must be very careful while making his next film. For producer Dipak Raman Dangol, there’s nothing much to say for he says he’s happy with the film and is getting back his investment handsomely. The only praiseworthy thing in the film is Sanchita Luitel’s performance. She takes away all the trophies in the film because it’s only she who has mastered her role and hasn’t done anything that looks unfit to the character.
“Mrityunjaya” is being screened in Kathmandu at the Gopi Krishna Cinema Hall at Chabahil and Guna Cinema Hall at Gwarko.
Cast: Ramit Dhungana, Sanchita Luitel, Arjun Karki, Sunil Thapa, and Mukunda Shrestha
Director: by Narayan Puri
Producer: Dipak Raman Dangol
Rating: 1.5/5
avash@myrepublica.com
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