But Nir Shah’s “Masaan,” a film based on the play written by the late littérateur Gopal Prasad Rimal puts all my uncertainty to vain.[break]
If we are to take an example of the film that can reach out to the inner souls of the filmgoers without any fancy props, breathtaking locations, peppy numbers and visual magic, Masaan is the one in the case.
Unlike elsewhere, Nepali silver screen has hardly explored much beyond the commercial way of filmmaking. While Hollywood and Bollywood have many films based on the great works of literature or on the real life stories from the yesteryears, Nepali movie fraternity does not even have handful such movies to look up to.
Some of the films based on literature like Prem Pinda, Basanti and Muna Madan did create its own niche in the market.
However, such films became once in a blue moon thing to the audiences while industry got primarily dominated by the stereotype commercial cinemas.
In such scenarios, a prominent actor and filmmaker like Nir Shah to take up one of the verypopular plays written by a veteran writer like Rimal and to project it with cinematic values is a work that certainly deserves a special mention.
Though for many it may seem like a movie based on a book would not need much of an effort, the reality however is exactly the vice versa.
For any filmmaker making such a movie, it is no less than a Herculean job to ensure that the movie does impartiality to the original script; does not kill the essence of the writer.
Nir Shah has carefully taken note of this and eighty percent of the movie poignantly stays close to Gopal Prasad Rimal’s play while the remaining twenty percent comes along with a little bit of cinematic touches.
Yes, it is true that Nir Shah’s Masaan is not exactly a feature film and perhaps for those who cannot keep their eyes off Rajesh Hamal, Nikhil Uprety and Rekha Thapa, this is not the right movie to go for.
For some others watching Masaan may feel like watching a play inside a cinema hall. The film does lack cinematic elements like soundtracks, cinematography, dance and melodrama if we are to compare it with any other full-length commercial film.
But look at it with a different perspective and you will find out how tightly the screenplay proceeds and how the movie pays homage to the great literary piece by Gopal Prasad Rimal.
Nir Shah does not fool around with the script and conceivably almost each dialogue in the film holds deep gravities and takes us back to the time when the writer had written the play.
From the setup to the costumes and props, the director of the movie heads extremely close in creating the mood to go along with Rimal’s play and succeeds mostly.
Since the dialogues are directly taken from the play, it was indispensable to have the right characters to deliver them.
The primary three characters of the film – Raj Ballav Koirala, Keki Adhikary and Nita Dhungana – take the best out of them to justify the characters while each of them projects their part with poise and eloquence. Nothing seems to have been overdone.
In fact, this is by far the best Raj Ballav has delivered among the movies he has done so far. For a person who is more of a philosopher and poet than an actor in real life, Masaan allows him enough space to take the real out of him. Both Keki Adhikary and Nita Dhungana are a treat to watch.
They steal the show largely. Other supporting actors like Keshav Bhattarai, Rashmi Bhatta, Subhadra Adhikary, Shyam Rai, Palpasa Dangol, Dipak Chhetri and Dinesh DC share the screen promisingly.
The self-centered men of the time, the sexual desires in them and the exploitation of women in the domestic circle is what Rimal’s play is about and it is what Nir Shah brings out with striking colors on the cinematic canvas.
The movie jointly produced by Rimal Enterprises –owned by the family members of the late Gopal Prasad Rimal – Nir Shah and Rudrarth Rana (Nir Shah’s grandson) for less than six million Rupees and without the typecast gimmicks stands out from all those “commercially successful” Nepali cinemas.
All in all, Nir Shah who loves to call his films “Nircinema” if he loves his work in it, makes a strong comeback in the industry with his matured experiences and new implementations.
Screening at QFX Cinemas.
(The writer is Program Officer at Indian Cultural Centre.)
Related story
Film Development Board to take action against cinema halls that...
