Nepali actress covets filming in Doha again

The Nepali actress, who made her cinematic debut with Three Lovers (2016) and later shot into prominence with Prem Geet (2016), one of the movies with the highest collection in Nepali film industry, seems is raring to give another smash hit as she films for her upcoming, Ram Kahani. For the last two years, Pooja Sharma has been staging works that are bold, experimental, spiky, genre-binding and above all, wildly imaginative and entertaining, most of the time touching the soul with well thought out romance on cinema screen.Before Pooja found her calling, she was a teenaged wannabe actress from Kathmandu, Nepal and later moved to Canada for a degree in tourism, and education in acting. She was featured in a couple of music videos before landing an unabridged role for a film.Nothing seems to faze the young actress, as she turns producer, eyeing a change in perception about the Nepali film industry. Making it straight between shots from her shoot of Ram Kahaani that is being filmed in Doha, Community recently sat down with her to discern her successful journey. Can you tell us about your upcoming film being shot in Qatar?Scheduled to release on September 7, Ram Kahaani is a romantic/comedy genre that follows the struggles of an adult, who returns from the Gulf to Nepal in maintaining his love life. We couldn’t really shoot much of Doha for the film, but it features that part of the story where the guy is living in a Gulf country. My previous movie was screened in Doha five times and the response was exceptional. So Qatar remains very special to me.Tell us something about your successful journey and how did you make it to the film industry?I was interested in acting since my childhood and was always a part of school theatre. I got featured in a music video when I was in Grade-X by Sugam Pokharel, a Nepali pop singer and music composer. After that many offers started pouring in and I did go for a number of other music videos as well. But since education has always been a priority, I went to Canada for further studies. After graduation, I took formal education in acting. When I landed for a role in Three Lovers, although it wasn’t the lead, my role won critical acclaim.How much setback do female artistes face from the idea of having a male protagonist actor in Nepali film industry? Is the trend changing?Most of the movies in the past were dominated by male actors, but now it’s totally different. There’s a definite shift. Viewers now prefer a strong script and that is what defines the role. Being a producer, now a good script is what matters to me. Things are definitely changing.Any guidelines you’d like to set up for upcoming talent?Hard work and dedication are key, it is all that matters. I put equal stress on education. An actress can reach the heights of success, if she’s determined enough and can create a line between good and bad.Qatar hosts around 500,000 Nepali expatriates. How do you target the market?The Gulf region is a huge market for our cinema. But we really need help from our government. We can screen movies here with an affordable tax structure. We need to work along on these lines.As an actress and producer, how do you create good content?Nepali movies are now progressing. The market is also huge. We do our research on how we can take our movies at international forums. To be on the map of world cinema, we need to work immensely on our script. We have to promote our own elements, both cultural and social, to strike a difference.How do you see your experience of shooting in Doha?Qatar is a beautiful country. I hope to shoot my future projects here. The Pearl and Katara are beautiful places. There are other locations in Qatar also that take your breath away. We hope the audience would love the country more after watching our film in cinemas.