History of Nepali Cinema: Part II – The Golden Era

Exclusive | Chadani Dixit | January 14, 2010 at 3:12 pm

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You can read part I of this article here.

In the 1970s, the government introduced a tax rebate policy. According to it, 50 percent (which was later increased to 65 percent) of entertainment tax would be rebated to the producers. This proved to be a major booster. Investment in film became a little more secure.

The movie Paral ko Aago (परालको आगो), directed by Pratap Subba, was produced by Ceneroma in 2034 BS (1978 AD). The black and white movie proved to be a great success due to the nice story and melodious music.
The music director of the movie, Shanti Thatal, was the first female music director in Nepali movies. Lyrics were prepared by Manbhadur Mukhiya and Indra Thapaliya and sung by Aruna Lama, Dawa Galmo, Pema Lama, Shankar Gurung, and Deepa Gahatraj (Jha).

The actors of the movie were Tanka Sharma, Basundhara Bhusal (Guest actor), I K Singh, Menuka Pradhan etc. Pratap Subba looked after the script and direction. The movie was based on a popular book by Guru Prasad Mainali with the same title.

Also, after 1980s, some relatively more creative films were made and they became successful too. Thus, film making started to appear a little more viable profession and the number of productions increased a bit.

After the introduction of private companies in the Nepali film industry, the time came when more films were being made and they were much more accepted by Nepali audiences. Films such as Kusume Rumal, Lahure, Kaanchi, Samjhana, Basudev, Saino and Koseli, which were released between 1984 and 1993, were very popular. Leading actors at the time included Bhuwan K.C. and Tripti Naadkar, whose on-screen chemistry saw them being dubbed the golden couple of the Nepali film industry. In the later years of the decade, the industry saw the rise of Rajesh Hamal and Karishma Manandhar.

In 1990, the country witnessed an important political change. The people’s movement brought the autocratic monarchy to its knees and democracy was restored. The society started to become open and vibrant. This had an important consequence for the fledgling film industry: it began to grow rapidly, or even to ‘bloat’, if one might call it so. There was an unprecedented growth in number of productions. Within a period of three years, some 140 films were made. Distribution started to develop. Market share in the existing market increased and the market itself expanded. Cinema halls increased to more than 300. Nepali filmmakers became optimistic of displacing Hindi films–which dominated and continue to dominate Nepali market.

To Be Continued…

Tags: Bhuvan K.C., Karishma Manandhar, Kusume Rumal, Paral Ko Aago, rajesh hamal, Tripti

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