Nepali Film Industry

The making of Nepali films is said to have begun with D. B. Pariyar's Satya Harishchandra, which was the first Nepali Language film to be shot. It was produced from Kolkata, India, and was released on September 14, 1951. Aama (meaning mother) was the first Nepali film produced and released on October 7, 1964. It was produced by the Information Department of His Majesty's Government Of Nepal (now Government of Nepal). “Aama”- A Nepali film was directed by Hira Singh Khatri with the lead actors Shiva Shanker Manandhar and Bhuwan Thapa, who are regarded as the first actors in the history of the Nepali film industry. The first Nepali film to be produced under a private banner was Maitighar (meaning the birth home of a girl), which was released at the end of 1966 by Sumonanjali Films Pvt. Ltd. Although it was a Nepali film, it had many Indians contributing toward the making of the film. Mala Sinha had the lead role, along with C P Lohani, whom she later married. Special appearances of Sunil Dutt and comedian Rajendra Nath were also introduced in the following Nepali film. This Nepali film was directed by B S Thapa and music scored by Jaidev, a veteran music maestro, it had Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Usha Mangeshkar, and Manna Dey, all of them established Indian singers, doing the playback-singing along with the household names of Nepali music, like Narayan Gopal, Prem Dhoj Pradhan, C P Lohani, and Aruna Lama.

Nepal Black And White Time periods Cinema Actor

Then the government established the Royal Nepal Film Corporation in 1971. Mann Ko Bandh was the first Nepali film produced by the Corporation. Prakesh Thapa was the director of this Nepali film. Nati Kaji and Shiva Shanker were the song composers. Amber Gurung scored the background music. The film premiered in 1973 in Kathmandu. Mann Ko Bandh was followed by Kumari (the first Eastman color Nepali film) in 1977, Sindoor in 1980, and Jeevan Rekha in series. The success of these films opened up avenue for private parties to enter into filmmaking as industrial endeavor.
Later the Film Development Board (FDB) was established by the Government of Nepal according to the existed Motion Picture Act amended on 20th November 1991.
The Himalayan country of Nepal does not have a very long film history, but the Nepali films industry has its own place in the cultural heritage of Nepal. Most Nepali films use Bollywood-style songs and narrative, and are shot on 16mm film. Nepali film industry is also called Kollywood (or Kaliwood as an alternate spelling) within Nepal.

Golden era

After the 1980s, some relatively more creative films were made and they became successful too. Thus, filmmaking 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 Samjhana, Kusume Rumal, Lahure, Kanchhi, Basudev, Saino and Koseli, which were released between 1984 and 1993, were very popular. The leading actors of those times were Bhuwan K.C. and Tripti Nadakar, 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 in Nepal. The people’s movement brought 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 had dominated the Nepali market.

Conflict era

The start of the Maoist revolution in Nepal in the mid-1990s was the beginning of the downfall of the Nepali film industry. In the period of war and conflict, only a very small number of films were made, and audience numbers fell sharply. It resulted in lower budgets and even lower performances, which resulted in even smaller audiences. In the later years of the conflict, the production and release of Nepali films had almost come to a standstill. Many actors and filmmakers left the country in search for work abroad because there were very few films being made. Actors like Saroj Khanal, Shiva Shrestha, Karishma Manandhar, Tripti Nadakar, Kristi Mainali and Gauri Malla had little work.
However, during the 1990s, some filmmakers, mostly with non-fiction base, started championing for a new kind of cinema. They denounced the crude imitation of Bollywood aesthetics and demanded indigenous aesthetics and a more realistic approach. They made some films which have received some critical acclaim at home and some international recognition. Historic movies like Balidaan and Seema Rekha made during this period were appreciated both by critics and audience.
In 2001, the highest-grossing Nepali film Darpan Chaya was made. It was directed by Tulsi Ghimire and starred Dilip Rayamajhi, Niruta Singh and Uttam Pradhan. It earned NRs 20 million at the box office.

Present situation

By 2006, as the situation in Nepal calmed down and with Maoists coming into mainstream politics, the Nepali film industry started to return to its previous state. Today, more films are being made and released. The production companies and those in the industry are enthusiastic about the country's new situation. The return of peace in the country has opened more venues for the shooting of films, and the industry is seen to be making good use of this time to revive the image of the industry.
New generation movie makers geared up to make sensible cinema with entertainment rather than Bollywood inspired socio-actions. Kagbeni, Sano Sansar, Mero Euta Saathi Cha, First Love, Kohi Mero, etc. are some of the fine example of quality cinema in terms of presentation, performance, story and technical superiority.