Our classic movies were pretty good with noteworthy stories, melodious songs and good acting. Movies that I watched like Chino and Balidaan were really good. They used to aptly integrate the elements of entertainment that successfully kept the momentum going. But, we hardly find such movies now. We go to watch movies for entertainment, but what’s the use if the movies fail to do so?
Some people argue that quality films can’t be made without a big budget. They say that we shouldn’t always compare our movies with foreign ones. But, is the budget the primary reason for poor quality Nepali movies? No, good films can be made even with a small budget. Take the Hindi movie Rock On for example. Though it was a low-budget production, it still rocked the viewers. This just shows that ideas and stories are more important than a large budget. Most of the time, we copy foreign movies or use the same old formula like dhisum dhisum fight scene or oft-repeated story line. If love stories are also portrayed differently, then wouldn’t that be something watchable?
Most people don’t dare make experimental movies. They’re afraid the risk might lead to bankruptcy. But filmmakers first need to concentrate on coming up with a quality product rather than calculating profit and loss already in the beginning. Let there be a movie based on popular Nepali novels like Palpasa Café, a renowned personality, or a movie based on sports, rather than using the same old formula of girl meets boy, fall in love, villain enters, a couple of fight scenes, same old comic tricks, and a happy ending.
It would also be nice if movies were made on historical events, after a through research. If the quality of a movie is good, then the earnings would definitely match it. In recent times, there were a few comparatively good movies like Kagbeni, Uma, Saayad, etc that entertained the nation’s youth. Loot hit our box office and proved that Nepali movies can be good and get huge financial success too. However, such movies are very rare.
Producers and directors focus on what has worked in the past, and what will most easily win. But, repeating the same formula doesn’t necessarily make it a good film or ensure its popularity.
The writer is the author of Mayur Albatross, and a graduate of Chartered Accountancy from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nepal.
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