Your new movie The Hidden
Lasso - in a few words, what is it about?
Using
illicit drugs and its consequences - how
easily a bright college student can get lured into taking drugs ...
What were your sources of inspiration when writing The
Hidden Lasso? A
real life situation within my wife's family. What can you tell us about your directorial
approach to your story at hand? It
was not that difficult with this movie because it was a real life story,
and actors were readily available. You also play the lead
in The Hidden Lasso
- so what did you draw upon to bring your character to life, and how much
Purna Pariyar can we find in Amrit? I
had experienced this character's situation, for real, when I saw my
brother-in-law turning from a nice young man into a drug addict. I just
replicated him. To turn the last
question on its head, to what extent have you based Amrit on yourself, to
what extent can you actually identify with him? Having
seen with my own eyes how a person can, so easily, get involved in taking
illicit drugs, I had little difficulty playing that role. As member of
Lions Clubs International, I have attempted to promote their
world-wide project on drug & alcohol awareness. Do talk
about the rest of your cast, and why exactly these people?
Because
the person in real life was of Nepalese background, it was best to use all
Nepalese characters to drive home a strong message to the rest of the Nepalese
Community, and indeed to the rest of the world.
A
few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
The
budget was limited. Consequently, the shoot was restricted to close
localities and familiar environment.
The $64 question of course, where can The Hidden Lasso
be seen? Screening
of this movie was scheduled for 27 March 2020 in a cinema in Toombul,
Queensland, Australia. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 it could not be
screened there, despite selling out. But then we uploaded it to YouTube.
It was a great success, as we soon had 380,000 views. This is beyond our
expectations. Anything you can tell us about audience and
critical reception of The Hidden Lasso?
Feedback
from the audience was overwhelming. We received thousands of commendations
for the theme & production, because it included drugs & domestic
violence in one movie. Any
future projects you'd like to share? Boondall
Lions Club is proud to state that our next movie project will be on causes
& effects of diabetes amongst humans. Diabetes also causes blindness.
Two major projects of Lions Clubs International are diabetes awareness and
preventative blindness. What got you into
filmmaking in the first place? From
childhood on I had great interest in music and visual arts. I acted in
several musical videos which became very popular. Movies, especially short
movies, are a great medium of sending a message to the audience/viewers. What can you tell us
about your filmwork prior to The Hidden Lasso? I
have been an actor and a model as well. In 2019, I produced, directed, and
acted in a movie called When Will Our Hearts Change, for which I
received the Best Short Film Award in Mumbai on world stage. That movie
was viewed by more than 100,000 people on YouTube. You're
making movies in Nepal, which at least internationally isn't exactly known
for its film scene - so what can you tell us about working there, and
about the local film scene? With
the modern technology these days, no country is living in isolation.
There are over 3 million Nepalese either living permanently or working
outside Nepal. They regularly keep in touch with motherland of 26.4
million people. What ever short or long films we make are screened in
foreign countries where Nepalese are residing. They look forward to local
content from the homeland, to keep up with language & culture as well. How would you describe
yourself as a director? It
is very hard for me to answer that, because I never did any course or
college studies as a movie director. The ideas come to my mind, and I just
write it all down, then produce movies. I love doing this. Filmmakers, actors, whoever else
who inspire you? During
the past 20 years or so, I have been working closely with some small to
medium filmmakers where I met some actors, producers, & directors.
Later, I developed the confidence to make my own movies, and with
success & some level of fame.
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Your favourite movies?
Life
of Pi and The Himalayan Caravans.
...
and of course, films you really deplore?
I
can't think of any at the moment.
Anything
else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Producing
any movie is very costly. Without generous sponsorship, in-kind
help, and volunteers, it is hard to meet the budget. I generally use
my own money to make a movie. There is no grant from any level of
government either. Thanks
for the interview!
It's
my pleasure. I would like to thank you as well for your time.
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