The Himalayan country of Nepal does not have a very long film history, but the 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. In film industry parlance, Kathmandu, the capital and center of the Nepali-language film industry, is called Kollywood (or Kaliwood as an alternate spelling) within Nepal (not to be confused with India's Tamil-language Kollywood, based in Chennai). Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... South Asian cinema refers to the cinema of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. ... This article addresses Persian and Pashto cinemas of Afghanistan. ... There are two Bengali film industries: Dhaka(called Dhallywood) and Kolkata (called Tollywood, a portmanteau of Tollygunge, the area of South Kolkata where this industry is based, and Hollywood) // Dhallywood Based in Dhaka, its the Bangladeshi film industry, with about 60 films produced each year. ... Bengali cinema, or the Bengali film industry, is one of the earliest film industries in India. ... The Indian film industry is the largest in the world in terms of the number of films produced annually (877 feature films and 1177 short films were released in the year 2003 alone). ... Assamese cinema was born in 1935 when Jyoti Prasad Agarwala released his movie Joymoti. ... Bengali cinema, or the Bengali film industry, is one of the earliest film industries in India. ... Bollywood (Hindi: , Urdu: ) is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based Hindi language film industry in India. ... The Cinema of Karnataka encompasses movies made in the Indian state of Karnataka. ... Image:Veerapandi. ... Malayalam cinema refers to films made in the southern Indian state of Kerala in Malayalam. ... This article is about the Telugu film industry. ... Lollywood (Urdu: لالیوڈ) (colloquially known as Ecco Bay) refers to the Pakistani film industry, based in the city of Lahore. ... Sri Lankan cinema is highly acclaimed abroad - its films have won dozens of awards at international festivals. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... Bollywood (Hindi: , Urdu: ) is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based Hindi language film industry in India. ... Nepali (Khaskura) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Nepal, Bhutan, and some parts of India and Myanmar (Burma). ... Image:Veerapandi. ... , “Madras” redirects here. ...

History

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 film produced in Nepal, and was released on October 7, 1964. It was produced by the Information Department of His Majesty's Government Of Nepal (now Government of Nepal). It was directed by Hira Singh Khatri and the lead actors were Shiva Shanker Manandhar and Bhuwan Thapa, who are regarded as the first actors in the history of the Nepali film industry. The first 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 movie, 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. It had special appearances of Sunil Dutt and comedian Rajendra Nath. 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. This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (281st in leap years). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Mala Sinha (born 11 November 1936) is an Indian actress. ... Sunil Dutt (June 6, 1929 - May 25, 2005), born Balraj Dutt was an Indian Bollywood actor and politician. ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Asha Bhosle[1] (Marathi: ) (born September 8, 1933) is an Indian singer. ... Usha Mangeshkar (Devanagari: उषा मंगेशकर) is an Indian singer who has sung in many Hindi and Marathi soundtracks. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Narayan Gopal Gurubacharya (Nepali: नारायण गोपाल गुरुवाचार्य) is by far the most prominent and popular singer in Nepali music. ...

Then the government established the Royal Nepal Film Corporation in 1971. Mann Ko Bandh was the first film produced by the Corporation. Prakesh Thapa was the director of the 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. Kathmandu (Nepali: काठमाडौं, Nepal Bhasa: यें) is the capital city of Nepal and it is also the largest city in Nepal. ... Logo celebrating Technicolors 90th Anniversary Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation (a subsidiary of Technicolor, Inc. ...

Golden era

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 KC 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 Karisma Manandhar. Rajesh Hamal born on 9 June 1964 in Mission Hospital, Palpa, Nepal is the most famous and successful actor of Nepal. ...

Conflict era

The start of the Maoist revolution was the start of the downfall of the Nepali film industry. In the era of war and conflict, only a very small number of films were made, and audiences fell sharply. That 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 come to a standstill. Many actors and filmmakers left the country in search for work because there were no films being made. Maoism or Mao Zedong Thought (Chinese: 毛澤東思想, pinyin: Máo Zédōng Sīxiǎng), also called Marxism-Leninism–Mao Zedong Thought or Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM), is a variant of communism derived from the teachings of Mao Zedong (1893&#8211...

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. Now, more and 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 the films, and the industry is seen to be making good use of this time to revive the image of the industry. Maoism or Mao Zedong Thought (Chinese: 毛澤東思想, pinyin: Máo Zédōng Sīxiǎng), also called Marxism-Leninism–Mao Zedong Thought or Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM), is a variant of communism derived from the teachings of Mao Zedong (1893&#8211...

Films currently in production include Alpabiram, Durga, Feri Arko Saino and Nari.

Film Development Board

The Film Development Board (FDB) was established by the Government of Nepal for the development and promotion of the Nepali Film Industry. It has created an environment of supporting the promotion of different aspects of motion-picture production in Nepal. The Board is a liaison to facilitate the conceptualization, making, distribution, and exhibition of Nepali films. It also attempts to bridge the gap between film entrepreneurship and government bureaucracy. However, the Board is bound to take care of interests of the people and support the interest for inspiring films from the common populace. The Board is a balance between the people at large, the government, and the process of filmmaking. It is, therefore, the safeguard of the interests of the people, the watchdog of the government, and the advocate of filmmakers.

[More information about Nepali cinema can be obtained from http://www.film.gov.np ].

Some information for filmmakers who are interested in Nepali location can be obtained from: http://www.film.gov.np/filming.pdf

Nepal as a location

Many film makers from India and abroad have captured the beauty of this Shangri-La in their cameras. Some of the films shot in Nepal were Little Buddha, The Golden Child, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Ghar Wali Bahar Wali, The Conquest of Everest, and more, The most internationally acclaimed film was the Academy Award-nominated Caravan (also known as Himalaya), a film by French director Eric Valli. Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the novel, Lost Horizon, written by British writer James Hilton in 1933. ... Little Buddha is a 1993 movie by director Bernardo Bertolucci and starring Bridget Fonda and Keanu Reeves. ... The Golden Child (1986) is an American mystical comedy film starring Eddie Murphy. ... Hare Rama Hare Krishna was a film made by Dev Anand in the 70s starring himself and Zeenat Aman. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... Valli directed Himilaya Eric Valli (born 1952 Dijon France) is a French photographer and film director. ...

Selected films

Cinema of Nepal
List of Nepalese films

Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Nepal. ... This article is under construction. ... Himalaya - lenfance dun chef or Himilaya was a 1999 French/Nepali adventure film directed by Eric Valli about survival in the Himilayan Mountains of northern Nepal and Tibet. ... Krodh is a 2006 Nepalese action drama film. ...

See also

• World cinema
• Asian cinema
• South Asian cinema

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Asian cinema refers to the film industries and films produced in the continent of Asia. ... South Asian cinema refers to the cinema of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. ...

External links

• Film Development Board, Nepal
• Nepali Film, Nepali movies
• Nepal Film Producers Association
• Jai Chamunda Films Pvt. Ltd.
• Nepal Vista
• Nepal Research-Film/Cinema
• Nepalese film at the Internet Movie Database