A coy Mala Sinha turns her face away from CP Lohani, as he sings नमान लाज, with Machapuchre as a quiet backdrop. As the two lovers sway through the musical interlude, they walk amidst Pokhara’s bucolic farms and row a dugout on Phewa.
From the first Nepali film, Ama, to December Falls, which is currently being filmed, Pokhara continues to be a favourite shooting location for Nepali movies. As filmmakers went back to shooting recently after a low-key year because of the pandemic, Pokhara was the obvious choice for many reasons.
“After being cooped-up in Kathmandu for so many months, it’s good to get out and get some fresh air,” says actor Upasana Singh Thakuri. Parts of her first film, Kabadi Kabadi Kabadi were filmed in Mustang and Pokhara in 2019, and she has been staying in Pokhara for close to a month now, with the December Falls unit. “I like it that Pokhara is so peaceful and convenient to work out of.”
The Covid situation has put filmmakers under pressure to maintain distance while working, and choices of locations that provide ample space, has also been a consideration.
“The film industry is reeling under the impact of the pandemic. The last few weeks have been vibrant as some people in the fraternity have started filming again,” says Ram Babu Gurung, who directed the Kabbadi trilogy. “We’re doing safety drills so that filming and audience arrangement in the theatres can be safe. With the vaccines coming, we have newfound hope.”
As filming for December Falls gets underway in Pokhara, for production manager, Bishnu Prasad Mainali, the priority has been to ensure safety and comfort of his 60-member crew.
“Pokhara was our choice because it’s scripted, but also because of the logistics. At a time like this, we have to think safety in living arrangements for the unit,” he says. When working from ‘outdoor locations’, it is also a time to bond as a team and Mainali says there’s something about Pokhara.
Pokhara is known to offer a variety in terms of locations, both urban and rural.
“Visually, Kaski has diverse beauty, and tourism has also provided for better infrastructure than other places. And for some of us, we want to film closer to familiar community,” says Gurung. “Natural beauty enhances cinematic aesthetics. But besides the lakes and mountains, villages are close by. What more could a producer want?”
Pokhara, called the lake city by some, is also seen as being at the heart of inspiration.
“Pokhara is a complete package,” says Khagendra Lamichanne, of Pashupati Prasad fame. Lamichhane’s first film Talakjung Tulke was shot in Hemjakot, a village that is a little more than an hour’s drive away from Pokhara.
“A filming crew consists of 50-70 persons, sometimes bigger. If you want to film in rural locations, it’s hard to find proper accommodations. That’s what makes Pokhara so attractive. Hotels are good, cheap and comfortable,” says Lamichhane, who is currently in Palung, shooting for The Secret of Radha, which establishes a random village in central Nepal. He says Pokhara is also more than just logistics.
“I started my career as a theatrist from Pokhara. When I first arrived, I was blown away by the environment for creatives. It is the home of so many musicians, artists,” says Lamichhane.
Pokhara has always had a vibrant literary scene, and over the years has become the venue for the Literature Festival, organised by Fineprint. Pokhara is also a popular location for music videos and dohori songs and film sequences, even when the story is set elsewhere. But there are some stories that are written with Pokhara in the mind.
“Purano Dunga is a very beautiful film that captures Pokhara in its essence, beyond using it as a location,” says Lamichhane. The film tells the story of two brothers, who spar over an inherited boat. While the elder brother wants to continue working as a ferryman, the younger brother wants to sell it to start business— a representation of reality for some families in Pokhara.
“Growing up near Begnas lake, I saw the lives of the boatmen closely. We all do boat rides in Pokhara, but never hear the stories of those behind the oar,” says Maotse Gurung, actor, filmmaker and script writer of Purano Dunga. “Movies don’t carry real stories, only using the location for aesthetics might not be enough, as there are not enough local stories that represent the emotions of the residents, and the soul of the land.”
Pokhara has also been a major destination for indigenous films, many being generic love stories. And filmmakers today want to explore.
“Our stories need local context, as well,” says Lamichhane. “Portrayal of local culture and language would mean doing more than just showing off the landscape. Gandaki’s population is diverse with Magar and Gurung communities and a significant Muslim population. Hopefully, our cinemas will be more authentic in the years to come. It would also bring pride to what makes Nepal what it is.”
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