It will take time to sell our cinema in the global market. I strongly believe that our audience demands “conscientious cinema” from filmmakers
By Usha Wagle Gautam
Rajesh Hamal is an icon of Nepalese cinema or Kollywood — as the film industry is referred to, combining Kathmandu with Hollywood. He is often dubbed Maha Nayak or the Great Actor.
Born in 1964 in western Nepal, he has featured in more than 230 plays, films and features — probably, the highest number any actor has performed in the country.
After working as a model in Fashion Net, an Indian fashion magazine, for some time in the Eighties, he debuted in cinema with Yug Dekhi Yug Samma in 1988.
He acquired immense fan following during the Nineties and into the new Millennium, on his way to snaring scores of national film awards. Hamal was recently in Doha to participate in a cultural programme. His presence was highly welcomed by nonresident Nepalese community since most of the community members grew up watching him. Community caught up with Hamal for a wide-ranging interview.
Excerpts:
Is this your first visit to Qatar? How did you like it here?
It is not my first; I came to Qatar in 2000 and was here subsequently, in 2004, 2007and 2014. Every visit here has been memorable. Between 2000 and 2014, I have seen rapid development in Qatar. Earlier, there were smaller buildings, but as of now, we can see giant structures everywhere.
In 2000, when I performed in a programme during Nepalese festival of Dashain, there were around 3,000 people in the audience, and all of them were male, or were with their families. But last year and this time, I saw may be 20 percent attendance of females, too. This shows that our sisters are no less than our brothers. I feel proud of Nepalese females working in Qatar, who support their families back home.
Earlier programmes were generally organised by nonresident organisations, but this time, the company itself and Qatar-based sponsors organised it. This time, I performed before a crowd of 10,000. Qatar is very special to me, and in this ‘mini-Nepal’ everywhere I visited, I saw my own countrymen.
What are the ongoing projects you are currently involved in?
Last two years, I have been in only six movies. Earlier, I used to figure in as much as 12 movies a year. These days, I act only in select movies. Recently, I completed two movies — Bagmati and Fagu — both of which are releasing soon. Bagmati is an international project by an Indian director. May be due to married life, I am not getting much time for the projects (smiles)!
How do you evaluate the progress made by the Nepalese film industry during your career?
During these 25 years in the industry, I have come across different changes; the political scenario and socio-economic condition of the people has changed. In the same way, Nepalese cinema has also changed in terms of content and technology. Back when I started acting, we had a few directors and producers. These days, we have scores of them; so yes, Nepalese cinema is increasing, qualitatively and quantitatively. Before, filmmaking was a tiresome job as compared to these days. These days, we use digital technology which is making filmmaking a bit easier.
I debuted in Yug Dekhi Yug Samma, and my second film was Adhikaar which garnered moderate reviews. In 1991, I appeared in three highly successfully movies. I was nominated for Best Supporting Actor form Paribhasa — a 1994 hit. The 1997 hit Bandhan won me a National Award while Jun Tara (1998) and Chandani (2000) were the two box office hits that gave me recognition as a popular actor. Subsequently, I appeared in other well-received movies Rana bhoomi, Dharmaputra, Pardeshi Kanchha, Shankar, Jindagani, Ek Number Ko Pakhe.
In 1999, Mato Bolchha earned me the National Best Actor Award. In 2000, I acted in Basanti — an epic movie opposite popular actress Karishma Manandhar. Basanti was critically acclaimed and also a box office hit.
In 2010, I featured in Haat Lagyo Sunya for which I got nominated as Best Actor in a Comic Role. In 2012, I was involved with hit movies like Night Queen, Maya ko Baarima and Chabilal Kanjus Chhaina.
Have you given any thoughts to directing?
I have! In a year or two, I will direct a movie. As I have already worked as an actor for 25 years, I am looking forward to directing, all by myself. Am writing the story of a movie that will be completed within a year. Simultaneously, I am also conceptualising other stories. I want to incorporate what Nepalese viewers like in my future projects. I am excited to direct my own movie.
How would you rate the contemporary scene; can we expand the market?
There are challenges for our film industry. We have to keep our cinema in sync with our viewing public’s demands. Due to various factors — one being technological — we are still waiting to hit the international market which requires that we focus on nonresident community first.
Newly built multiplexes in Kathmandu and other urban areas are attracting more and more youngsters to Nepalese movies. Kathmandu hosts three annual international film festivals which will also help take our cinema to the next level. (But) it will take time to sell our cinema in the global market. I strongly believe that our audience demands “conscientious cinema” from filmmakers. We have to pay attention to the content more than profits and promotion.
Low budget Nepalese films are competing with high budget and high-tech foreign movies. Can we compete?
It’s not necessary to compete with foreign cinema. We have to make our own style unique. We should not copy foreign movies; instead, we need to instill our films with our own culture. Copying content is totally wrong. We need to focus on reaching out to our audiences. The challenging part is we really don’t know how to handle the new media when some people use it against Nepalese cinema in an organised manner. And there is a distraction — instead of talking about the real issues raised or provoked by movies, the new media is stuck in superficialities. We have to learn on how to handle the new media and promote our cinema for a larger audience.
Where would you place the current Nepalese films in the pecking order?
Our cinema is in a struggling phase. One good thing about Nepalese filmmakers is that we are continuously making movies. Each year a hundred films are released which is a big achievement in itself. We have to do more to find our place in world cinema.
What are the positives?
Nepalese have their own way of filmmaking. Our films incorporate emotions, issues, lifestyles, cultures and customs of our people. We also have to pick up and focus on modern content.
And what are the challenges?
As filmmakers, we are not doing enough. The most important aspect is to do research where we lag far behind. We haven’t identified the choices of our audiences. I guess we need to make changes in our content by carrying out research and identifying what they want.
What are the basic ingredients of a good cinema?
We have to know the type of audiences we want to target. While writing stories, we must keep in mind what lessons and entertainment we are providing. We have to grasp the changing minds of the audiences, and write screenplays accordingly.
What is the secret of your still youthful look?
A man never looks younger than his age. If somebody looks older than his age, I believe he lacked discipline in his life. You have to be careful with food; your body is as important as your mind — healthy body has a healthy mind. I have maintained discipline in my life. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink and I exercise every day. I feel happy that even young people call me “Rajesh dai” (big brother), not ‘Rajesh Uncle’ (laughs).
There are more than 400,000 Nepalese in Qatar, and many of them are your fans. What is your message for them?
I found Nepalese in Qatar are very close to their culture and they love their cinema and artistes. Their support is very crucial for their families and children back home. I suggest they make use of their incomes in a proper way. Qatar is a big market to promote Nepalese cinema; if we try, we can reach up to 25 percent of our market potential here. I suggest they keep giving us feedback on how to make our films better.
