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While he was simply hoping to enjoy a gentle breeze at the box office, Purna Bahadur’s Sarangi turned into a storm of earnings. In the early days of release, the film brought extreme disappointment. But when viewers shed tears while watching it, and as that moment went viral on social media, the storm of revenue buried that despair somewhere unknown—even director Saroj Paudel doesn’t know where.
Nevertheless, the film has tied Paudel’s cinematic struggle to a new identity. He is now “marked” in Nepali cinema. On Bhadra 12, he is arriving again with another film. According to Paudel, this time too, he has come with a story he both needed and wanted to tell. He held the same belief during Purna Bahadur’s Sarangi. If his new film stands out in measures beyond box office numbers, he says he will feel more satisfied. At the moment, he is carrying the “back-of-the-head” pressure of Purna Bahadur’s Sarangi’s success. In this context, here is an excerpt from our conversation with him:
How would you define your new film Koshedhunga?
– It is the “miracle point” of transitioning from a difficult time to a better one. In Nepali literary terms, Koshedhunga symbolizes the beginning of a good era. That is what I have tried to convey here.
In terms of subject matter, how new is this theme for Nepali cinema?
– As far as I know, the kind of events this film presents in a cinematic style have not been brought to Nepali cinema before. We have taken incidents often heard in news reports and built a film around them. In that sense, I believe this is the first of its kind for Nepali cinema.
After preparing the script, to what extent do you feel the visual language you imagined has been realized?
– I have achieved it, though I won’t claim there are no flaws at all. Weaknesses may remain, which viewers themselves will evaluate after watching. But I can confidently say that I have managed to present the story clearly enough for Nepali audiences to understand.
As you express this confidence, how engaging do you think the film will be for audiences?
– It will be engaging because the subject matter itself is a new phenomenon for Nepali cinema. After watching, audiences will feel, “Yes, this truly is the major problem of our country.” Since it is based on the neglect of unemployed youth by the state, it will naturally strike a chord.
If asked about the three strongest aspects of your film, what would you say?
– First, the event it highlights is new for Nepali cinema. Second, its presentation—it delivers serious issues in a simple way. Third, it matches the expectations of the audience.
Do you feel the pressure of Purna Bahadur’s Sarangi’s success behind the scenes?
– Yes. More than personally, I feel the natural pressure of the expectations that general audiences and Nepali cine-lovers have placed on this film. Yet, I also believe that whoever watches it will be convinced.
What does it mean if this film fails?
– Success or failure is not in our hands. We are people of action. Everything should not always be tied only to success. If the audience likes it but it doesn’t surpass my previous film, I will still take the support for the content itself as success and continue working in new ways in the future.
