For me, any little improvement and new experiment in Nepali movie is worth mentioning. For me, Prasanna Poudyal’s SWOR: The Melody of Dreams, was again a must-see piece as the trailers looked interesting than any of the ongoing mainstream Nepali movies.
While I hear so many criticisms from various quarters about this recent Nepali film SWOR, I would rather say that director Prasanna Poudyal has made an attempt to think beyond what many typecast filmmakers are doing so far.
Raj Ballav Koirala (the chief protagonist in the movie), who started his film career from Dipak Shrestha’s Parkhi Basen in 2007, has come of age as an actor through his film journey till SWOR.
Not that SWOR is one of the exceptional Nepali movies produced so far but the approach it has adopted makes this movie worth going for.
The first thing that I appreciated about the movie is its casts. For a producer, who is handsomely investing in a Nepali film, it’s not that easy to have faith in a complete novice. Even for a director to convince the producer to introduce five new faces together into a movie, it takes a lot of guts. I have to pay director Prasanna Poudyal, producers Manish Rajbhandari, Ravi Lama and Suren Balami a compliment for their bold decision to introduce a bunch of new people than have all the big stars cast together which is usually the case with Nepali film industry. They have surely set a new trend in the Nepali film industry which has hitherto been casting big stars to ensure the return of their investment than give an opportunity to fresher.
SWOR: The Melody of Dreams stars Raj Ballav Koirala and introduces Keki Adhikari, Sraj Garach, Benisha Hamal, Reema Bishwokarma, Amit Pokharel and Joyes Pandey. Apart from Raj Ballav Koirala, all his co-stars are newbie to the industry. Supporting them are prominent actors Tripti Nadekar and Sunil Thapa.
Though the presentation of the film is carried carefully, it is the script that needed more attention because the primary theme of the movie is grabbed only after the first half. The main focus of the story – the dream of becoming singers and musicians of six friends takes up its speed only after the first half but ends before you are done with all the explanations.
If only the first half of the movie would not have stretched so long on the attraction between Raj Ballav Koirala and Keki Adhikary, the film would have done more justice to its actual plotline.
On the pluses, the cinematography of the film is taken care of very sensitively because Pokhara though has been captured so many times in Nepali films; the lake city still looks afresh through the cinematography of SWOR. And as the title suggests, Swor (voice) is rich with good music, forget about one track sung by Mingma Sherpa. The rest of the soundtracks composed by Satya Raj Acharya, Swaroop Raj Acharya, Sugam Pokharel and arranged by Tsujil Karmacharya are refreshing to your ears so much so that the songs stay with you even after the movie is over.
The second half of the movie has the emotions in abundance, some overdone, some funny, while some touching. Considering the fact that SWOR is music video maker Prasanna Poudyal’s directorial debut, some loopholes can be overlooked. Nonetheless, director Poudyal must keep this in mind that one small skip in the film can cost you dearly. Take for example, when the director makes us believe that the entire film is shot in Pokhara, the locations of Durbar Marg and Bhainsepati suddenly pops in spoiling your mood.
While the final editing of the film is one of the most important aspects of any cinema, SWOR overlooks its editing part because some of the vital scenes are not well defined. I agree that reality and fiction are too different things but when you are trying to bring them closer, you also have to include the realistic factors too.
The relationship between Raj Ballav Koirala and his mother Tripti Nadkar should have been defined more. Likewise, many mushy scenes in the first hour of the movie could have been shortened. Considering the presentation of the film, I am, however, willing to overlook these elements.
On the character’s part, Keki Adhikari, a music video model and a debutante in Swor, needs a special mention. Most often what is also rare in Nepali cinema is for a newcomer to act realistically. Apart from the few dialogues, Keki stands out throughout the movie. Raj Ballav seems serious with his role, while the other newcomers support the film strongly.
All in all, SWOR: The Melody of Dreams is a yuppie’s entertainer. Go for it without expecting anything huge and enjoy the movie till it is there.
Screening at Jai Nepal Cinema Hall
The writer is Program Officer at Indian Cultural Centre
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