Widely known for his comical role ‘Takmebuda’ on Nepal Television sitcom ‘Meri Bassai’, Wilson Bikram Rai is an acclaimed actor and singer that the Nepali film industry knows of. Though he started acting early at the age of nine, he took a long gap later thinking that acting was not his ‘cup of tea’. However, it was not until ‘Meri Bassai’ happened to him that he realized his passion for acting. Having played in about two dozen movies so far, he is currently occupied with a feature film ‘Ram Kahani’ and is gearing up for the shooting of the upcoming film ‘Chauka Dau’.
In conversation with My City’s Sonam Lama, Wilson revealed the five things that many may not know about him.
Perils of nationalism
Fond of cooking
Being the elder son in the family, he started early with cooking. Having learned the culinary art from his mother, he is especially fond of cooking non-vegetarian dishes in Nepali style. However, he has also tried his hands cooking Thai foods. “I remember the first time I cooked chicken Manchurian, it was horrible but since I have been cooking for 17 years now, I have turned myself to a better chef,’ said Rai.
Keen dancer
A passionate dancer, he is quite good at picking steps and syncing them with rhythm and music. When it comes to dancing, he is much fascinated by loud Nepali and Bollywood styles and much of his style are inspired from that of Nepali actor Dilip Rayamajhi. Once he makes sure that there is someone to accompany him dancing, he can go on and on for hours.
Travel enthusiast
One of the things that he can’t have enough of is travelling. Having travelled to numerous countries around the world, he recently had his 9thvisit to South Korea for a show. Meeting people and learning about new ideas and experiences are the amazing aspect of travelling, according to him. “Of all the places that I have visited so far, Hong Kong felt quite homely as I could see dispersed Nepal unified at a place. It was a feeling of warmth to exchange affection in a foreign land,” Rai said.
Movie buff
Being an actor himself, he is highly keen at learning the versatility of acting and the creativity of film making. Much inspired by Charlie Chaplin, he believes expression of emotions in a non-verbal way is much more important than language to interpret any subject. “Even though I can barely understand the language, I enjoy watching Korean, Iranian, Pakistani, and Afghani films and try to learn to the best I can,” Rai added.
Go on a world tour
He credits his father for whatever he is today and has plans to take him to world tour in the near future. He recalls an incident where his father was amazed seeing him get praised by his fans while in a holiday in Pokhara, which made him proud seeing his father happy.
