Submit your Article

After more than a year of continuously watching and reviewing Netflix movies/series, it started getting a bit monotonous. I know it’s an OTT platform and there are new releases all the time, but the whole waiting and watching does get a bit boring when you know you have to review a movie every week. So, I decided to surf through YouTube to see if I could find something interesting.

A quick search for Bollywood movies gave me multiple options but the one that caught my eye was the 2018 film “Baazaar,” for personal and semi-professional reasons. The Indian language crime/drama is largely based on the share market and it’s inside stories. Enough reason for an aspiring NEPSE trader to watch, you might think. Well, that is partly true.

The film uses two men from different walks of lives and backgrounds to tell the inside stories of power and money struggles in the stock market. Rizwan Ahmed (Rohan Mehra) is a small-time stock-trader in Allahabad who idolizes Shakun Kothari (Saif Ali Khan), a Gujrati share market tycoon based in Mumbai. Rizwan’s wish to work with the very best in the share market makes him chase Shakun, who in turn recognizes the youngster’s potential and thus begins a collaboration between the two men—the former a naïve entrant and the latter a ruthless whale. Facilitating their relationship is Rizwan’s co-worker and girlfriend Priya Rai (Radhika Apte), who has an already successful career in the firm they work for.

As Rizwan starts making money by the millions for Shakun, the two get close. Shakun, usually reserved and distanced, starts taking a personal liking to Rizwan and even their families, including Shakun’s wife Mandira Parekh (Chitrangda Singh), get involved. But like any bull or bearish trend in the market, their relationship also does not last long. Greed for power and lust for money comes between, with guile, treachery and retribution coming into play.  

Directed by Gaurav K. Chopra, Baazaar’s story feels uncannily similar to Oliver Stone’s 1987 masterpiece “Wall Street,” although there is no official mention in the credits. The writers of Baazar try to show the darker side of the stock market where deception and scam are just another day’s work. (This is kind of true for almost every share market.) The film has intense movements and suspenseful subplots to make it thrilling enough.

Still, the three writers credited for Baazaar do a lazy job of omitting the very details of how a market operates for real. There is a lot to watch in the film, but nothing to take away. It focuses more on the power struggle between the players than realistically show at least some actual processes that the audiences could relate to.

Badly written it may be but the film flows at a good pace, making its 2hr 17mins length bearable despite the boring soundtracks and background music. Like most of the Bollywood films on stock markets and finances, Baazaar too uses its females as mere tools in storytelling and pretty faces on screen. Both the central female characters—Priya and Mandira—played by the best actors in the industry were in a position to make an impact on the story, but the writers only make them blend and then fade into the background.

This lack of character-building for other actors, including Mehra’s Rizwan, shifts all the focus on Khan’s Shakun. Shakun, who has made it to the top of the market with his shrewd trading skills and a little help from his wife’s family money, is a multi-layered character with shades of black and white throughout the movie. The actor Khan does a fine job of getting into his character but still feels tied down due to the terrible writing and stereotypical characterization. 

Who should watch it?

Baazaar fetishizes the stock market and the uncountable amount of money that floats in it. Glorification of financial crimes works for some and doesn’t for others. So you know if you really want to watch it.

PS: We’ll most probably be doing a YouTube movie every alternate week. So if there’s something you’d like to get reviewed or saw a movie you particularly liked, please send us a link. We’re on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Or mail us at [email protected]

Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Crime/drama
Actors: Saif Ali Khan, Rohan Mehra
Director: Gaurav K. Chopra
Run time: 2hr 17mins

Udeep Shrestha, heir to the well-known Panchakanya Group, is a member of a new generation of Nepali business people taking over traditional, family-owned businesses and turning them into major corporate houses. Equipped with the right education, the young generation is adapting quickly to the globalized world and making every effort to put Nepal on the international map for trade, business and industry.

Shrestha, who now leads the decades-old multi-industry conglomerate, is also involved in facilitating and promoting entrepreneurship in Nepal. Sunny Mahat of ApEx caught up with him to talk about the country’s current economic situation and opportunities for entrepreneurs.

How is the Panchakankya Group adapting to the changing times and the economic volatility brought about by the pandemic?

The past two years have been tough for most businesses, right around the world. At Panchakanya, we have taken most of our business activities online. We have also adopted digital documentation within the company and our dealer network, as far as practicable.

Similarly, we have reworked our minimum inventory level, receivable policy and cash flow cycle to make them as lean as possible.

Covid-19 is being seen as a threat to Nepali businesses. Do you also identify possible opportunities it might have created?

Yes, I guess every challenge brings with it an opportunity. The online space has now become the platform to be. With people being compelled to embrace mobile payments and more online buying, studying customer behavior and perception has opened countless opportunities in this arena. The past two years have been tough, but they have also led to a rapid adoption of e-commerce.

Similarly, with lower interest rates and an e-trading platform, the stock market has become more vibrant.

Do you think, after all these years, Nepali businesses can still blame ‘political instability’ for their failures or should businesses see it as just another threat?

Political instability is not something new in Nepal; it has been around for decades. As a result, I believe most businesses have already adjusted to the always-looming political uncertainty. Political instability may not be the only reason for business failure, but it is a reason that undermines and restricts the growth of most companies. It also discourages new investments. It may not be the primary reason a business fails but it is definitely the main reason many businesses may not at all start.

As the new NYEF chair, what are your plans to foster entrepreneurship among youngsters?

At NYEF, we have been utilizing the lockdown to enhance learning among our members and young entrepreneurs. Organizing these online learning sessions across our 10 chapters has allowed us to reach entrepreneurs around the country with valuable content.

NYEF, as the national host, is also currently organizing the Entrepreneur’s World Cup (EWC). The EWC is a global competition for startups with a cash prize of $500,000. NYEF is also closely working with ILO and the Ministry of Industry in developing the much-needed startup policy that will be a guideline for the use of the government’s recently declared challenge fund for subsidized loans for startups.

Further, we are working on developing an entrepreneurs’ portal. The online portal will have information every entrepreneur needs regarding registering, managing and growing a company. We feel this will be a good resource center for Nepali entrepreneurs.

It is also NYEF’s intent to be the voice for youth entrepreneurs in the country. To achieve the same, NYEF along with its chapters have been consistently communicating with all three levels of the government to address the challenges faced by startups and young entrepreneurs.

As a young businessperson yourself, do you think Nepal’s business community is accommodating and inviting for young people?

I think Nepal’s business community has always been inviting and encouraging to the youths. It is the bureaucracy, political uncertainty, challenges in access to finance and unclear policies and regulations that discourage the youth from coming back and doing business in Nepal.

It is important to understand that startups and new businesses are vital to the business ecosystem and key drivers of economic growth and sustainability.

For someone who watched football in the 90s, the ponytailed figure of Roberto Baggio leading his team from the front in every match with the same zealous energy is a memory that can’t be easily erased. Nor can the iconic image of Italian football’s legendary forward and attacking midfielder ever be forgotten in the annals of world football. Baggio, in his career span of roughly three decades, gave the sport some of the most memorable moments and the biographical feature film “Baggio: The Divine Ponytail” (l Divin Codino) celebrates his contributions.

The movie starts when Baggio (Andrea Arcangeli) is 17-years-old and plays for the local team L.R Vicenza. Born to a lower middle-class family, Roberto lives with his parents and seven other siblings in a small apartment. The opening scenes with long shots in the confined space of his family home suggest how chaotic and equally colorful Roberto’s early life must have been.

Then, in 1985, he is recruited by the Serie A team Florentina, a big moment for him and his family. Everyone around Roberto seems to be supportive of his football career and see him making a name for himself and the country, except for his father Florindo (Andrea Pennacchi). Baggio has an uncomfortable relationship with his father and although Florindo is not totally against his son’s career, he is not very appreciative either.

But Baggio is unhindered by any negativity in his life, including a major knee injury he gets in the early stage of his career. Baggio quickly recovers physically and gets into Buddhism to help him recover spiritually and goes on to deliver record-setting performances in football. In 1993, he wins the coveted Ballon d’Or and is in the peak of his career when in World Cup 1994 he misses a deciding penalty against Brazil in the finals. This incident would haunt him for the rest of his life, even giving him nightmares at times.

The movie Baggio, directed by Letizia Lamartire, covers most of the footballer’s professional life and some of his personal life in a fast-paced sequence of events. The storytelling is quick and concise, but owing to its brevity of just 91 mins, the film feels more clustered than compact. Many questions have been left unanswered. There also seems to be a discrepancy in the chronology of Baggio’s life and career.

We get little into the life of Baggio and are shown more of what is easily available on the internet. For instance, his embrace of Buddhism, as shown in the movie, is unconvincing. Also, we are told in words that Baggio has had problems with his coaches all through his career, but we do not get to witness much of this conflict. Nor do we see his relationships with his fellow players, some of them icons in their own rights. For the rest of the film, there is just not enough conviction and emotion as expected in a passionate biography of a famous sportsperson.

Actor Andrea Arcangeli, playing Roberto Baggio, cannot be blamed for this though. He has done a convincing job of portraying the flamboyant Baggio on screen. He acts his part and definitely looks his part, doing everything expected from an actor. It’s the storytelling that lets the film down. The makers seem to be confused about whether they would like to show the professional side of Baggio, or his personal side, and end up not doing enough on both the fronts.

I had never expected I would ever say this, but this film is just too short! A sportsman with Baggio’s list of contributions and achievements should have definitely been given more screen time. With the healthy pace the film maintains, a 2.5hr long feature or even a mini-series would have been more interesting.

Who should watch it?

Football fans, new and old, unquestionably. Even if not as a good movie, watch it as an ode to the rockstar of international football. As mentioned, the film’s steady pace will not let you get bored even if you find a lot of pieces in the puzzle missing, and the acting performances are decent enough.

Rating: 2.5 stars
Genre: Biography, drama
Actors: Andrea Arcangeli, Andrea Pennacchi
Director: Letizia Lamartire
Run time: 1hr 31mins

“The problem with my career has been, people who know my songs don’t know my name. And people who know my name, don’t know the songs I have sung,” says singer Santosh Lama. Time and again, Lama gets queries like “Oh you sang that popular number? I didn’t know that.” Despite 15 years in the industry, people continue to confuse his identity.

Lama attributes this confusion to the paucity of his media appearances, which makes it difficult to stay popular and relevant in current times. The audience has too many names and faces to remember and they easily forget. Also, most of Lama’s popular songs have come out at a time music videos are more important and popular than actual music. For those audiences, the songs and the actors/models in them are easier to memorize than the singers or musicians themselves. Many singers are not recognized even though their songs are played in nearly every household, Lama says. 

“Still, I am preparing to release at least two or three songs right after the end of the current lockdown. They’re already in post-production,” says Lama, who has more than 300 songs, most in Nepali and some in Tamang, under his belt: hits like “China ko Rail,” “Behuli,” and “Dara Chhaina”. With a degree in classical music from Kalanidhi Indira Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, Lalitpur--which is affiliated to the famous Prayag Sangeet Samiti in Allahabad India--Lama entered the music industry as a pop singer. He has since also done playback singing for Nepali movies and lent his voice to songs of other genres

But he continues to be most famous as the winner of the iconic “Nepali Tara”—the mother of all reality shows in Nepal. Lama was the winner of the show’s second season in 2007 and quickly shot to fame. “I was barely 22 when I won Nepali Tara. Everything I did for music before that, I call it a learning experience more than a struggle,” says Lama who had participated in multiple competitions before the reality show and had to travel to-and-fro every time from his hometown in Dhading to Kathmandu. 

“My real struggle began after I won Nepali Tara,” says Lama. “You are the talk of the town when you do well in a reality show. You get instant fame and the audience and media always talk about you.” So the artists think the fame will last them a lifetime and start basking in its glory. That’s where they are wrong, Lama explains. All the hype and popularity gained in reality TV ends as fast as it begins and then the artists are left to fend for themselves in the real world. 

“Musicians have no business managers, no one planning their careers. The artists, still amateurs when they win reality shows, do not know how to deal with instant money and fame,” says Lama. “By the time they realize what is happening, they have already hit rock bottom and have to start from scratch.”

Now 35, Lama is less concerned about popularity and more about the quality of his music. His focus has always been on producing quality music that satisfies him, not catering to the ‘viral crowd.’ The curse of Nepali Tara has followed him though, raising expectations for trendy, catchy songs that can be consumed by the masses. But that had never been Lama’s goal. In fact, the first song he promoted from his debut album right after winning Nepali Tara was “Batuwa”, his personal favorite semi-classical number composed in the odd-time 7/8 signature. “People expected me to release a love song, but I released Batuwa with its philosophical lyrics,” Lama adds. 

Lama would like to continue singing for the rest of his life, without falling into the trap of publicity stunts and celebrity culture. “When I started as a singer, we did not create music for the audience to watch on YouTube, let alone make mimicry videos on TikTok. Music was solely for the ears, hearts and souls,” says Lama. “This is what I would like to continue doing.”

A.R. Rahman, the legendary musician from India who has also made a name for himself in the global music arena, had apparently penned the script for “99 Songs” back in 2011. The film was announced in 2013 under a different banner, when Rahman decided that he would produce the film under his own YM Movies. So after almost a decade since its inception, the film finally launched on Netflix in April under Rahman’s production. 

“99 Songs”, a dream project of Rahman, and also his debut work as a film-writer and producer, is supposedly a love saga. Of course, it was always going to be a musical with Rahman composing the music. Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy directs the Hindi-language movie which has also been dubbed in Tamil and Telugu. 

It is kind of complicated to explain the film’s story in so many words because with Rahman’s imaginations coming into play, the storyline becomes a mix of simple yet complicated plots. Jay (Ehan Bhat), a college student and an aspiring musician, is in love with his college mate Sophie (Edilsy Vargas), a budding fashion designer/visual artist. 

When Sophie’s music mogul father Sanjay Singhania (Ranjit Barod) hears about their affair, he approaches Jay with a condition he has to fulfil before he can marry Sophie. Sanjay is developing an AI streaming service for which he needs 100 songs and Jay is to compose all those songs before he can marry Sophie. 

Jay agrees and as his friend and bandmate Polo (Tenzin Dalha) suggests, he heads out to Shillong because “it is the best place in the world to make music.” In Shillong, Jay starts off well with writing new music but quickly loses inspiration. So Polo gets him a job as a pianist at the local jazz bar where Jay meets the mysterious singer Sheela (Lisa Ray) who later becomes his mentor and close friend. Then disaster strikes and things take a bad turn for our protagonists and their aides. 

In all honesty, 99 Songs feels like it draws a lot of influence from past Bollywood films, as if Rahman did a school project on Bollywood films as he watched them by the dozens. The film itself starts like a Karan Johar production and in the latter half becomes something Sanjay Leela Bhansali would make. You’ll have to watch the movie to understand the connection. 

Also, the widely publicized news about the makers auditioning more than 1,000 people for lead roles seems fake news. Acting is much below par, with lead actors Ehan Bhat and Edilsy Vargas desperately failing to display the passion their characters demand. Their dialogue delivery feels like they are acting in a high-school play staged by science students who’d rather go back to studying than give extra effort to their performance. The north-east Indian characters in the film, including Tenzin Dalha as Polo, are the only cast who look natural. Everyone else is either trying too hard or not bothered at all. 

Now comes the most disappointing part of the movie. For a film written, produced (Rahman), directed (Krishnamoorthy) and also acted (Barod/Rahul Ram) by musicians, the music of 99 Songs is painfully underwhelming. Rahman does try to assimilate all his musical influences into this musical production, but not a single soundtrack stands out. The genres of music vary from Indian classical to modern pop and rap but nothing sounds even a fraction like the musical benchmark Rockstar (2011), where Rahman gave some of the most memorable music ever created in Bollywood. Had it not been for the film’s excellent cinematography and editing, the 2hr 8mins long film would have been totally unwatchable. 

Who should watch it?

A word of caution: maybe my high expectations from a Rahman musical were too high. As mentioned, the cinematography is beautiful. And a plus of us Nepalis is, our own Manisha Koirala is in the film as a psychologist, although her role could have been given to any real-life medico and nobody would have noted a difference. Still, there are a few moments in this highly layered film that can be entertaining for some, especially Rahman fans.  

Rating: 2 stars
Genre: Musical, romance
Actors: Ehan Bhat, Edilsy Vargas, Tenzin Dalha
Director: Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy
Run time: 2hr 8mins

“I initially wanted to be a Nepali film hero,” recalls Subrat Raj Acharya. So as a teen in the mid-80s, this Kathmandu lad took dance lessons and started doing stage shows. He was exploring ways to get into the film industry when around 1993 an opportunity finally knocked on his door, but not to be an actor. Acharya was rather hired to work as the third assistant director in the Nepali feature film “Andolan,” directed by Tirtha Thapa. The film had a budget of Rs 10 million, a huge sum at the time. Thus Acharya’s career in entertainment began, behind the camera. 

Fast forward to 2021, Acharya, 47, is now a popular media-person, actor and director who has two Nepali feature films and around 500 music videos to show as his directorial ventures. “I got a lot of work right after my first film. So much that it hampered my studies,” Acharya says. “So at the advice of my father, I quit work and completed my mass communication degree.” The camera would not let Acharya stay away for long though. 

After completing his studies he had only just joined Rajendra Shalabh’s production company Master Recording as a public relations officer when Acharya was asked to direct a music video, an offer he initially denied for lack of experience. But with Shalabh’s encouragement, Acharya in 1997 directed his maiden music video for the late Aruna Lama’s song “Haasi Haasi Jali Rahe” featuring Binod Manadhar and Poojana Pradhan as actors. 

The professional journey has been long and successful for Acharya, who is also a journalist at a national-level tabloid, in fact one of the first and the most successful entertainment tabloids in the country. He had been working as a media person and directing music videos and movies at the same time before he quit his journalism job five years ago. But then he got even busier. 

“In the past five years, I have had shooting schedules every other day, directing around three-four music videos every week,” Acharya says. His recent works include some of the most watched Nepali music videos. The song “Pirim Nalaune” by singers Aashish Sachin and Melina Rai, which Acharya directed two years ago, now has over 77 million views on YouTube, making it one of most watched Nepali music videos of all time. Subrat also directed singer Deepak Bajracharya’s “Mann Magan” which has crossed 29 million views. His more recent creations have all easily got into the unofficial ‘million club’. He has also made big-budget music videos including singer Sachin Rauniyar’s “A Manchhe” made with a whopping budget of Rs 1.6 million. 

“But the most important thing is song quality,” Acharya says. “The success of a music video depends on the quality of singing, lyrics, recording and arrangement more than video quality.” Music videos are only visual interpretations and representation of songs, which, if done creatively, can make the audience watch them on repeat. Music inspires Acharya more than anything else as he looks to make each of his videos entirely different to his previous creations. 

Compared to the of-late stagnant film industry, especially post-Covid-19, the music video industry is growing and plenty of money is flowing into it, Acharya says. After the first lockdown, there seems to be an influx of new singers, music video directors and actors. People have this new-found need to become ‘viral’, making them invest in music videos in the hope of gaining overnight popularity. 

“While this creates many job opportunities for actors, video-makers and technicians, the unfair competition this creates might be counterproductive in the long run,” says Acharya. The unfair competition, Acharya explains, includes buying fake views in hope of attracting the real audience. Spending more on marketing than on the quality of their work, these people live in a bubble of popularity while the mass is largely unaware of their presence. 

“We now have enough resources and skills to make international standard music videos,” Acharya says. “If only everyone focuses on their work and refrain from cheating, the Nepali music video industry has a long way to go.”

Ghalib (Suvinder Vicky), an aging trucker struggling with chronic back-pain, leads a lonely life divided between driving long hours and resting at his small Delhi apartment. His wife of two years has recently died by suicide and he still struggles to come up with a valid reason. They had disagreements and had stopped talking at the time she died, but he had never expected her to take the drastic step. 

A dedicated workman who is looked up to by his colleagues and adored by his employers, Ghalib’s struggle with mental peace and his aching back make him slightly slack off work, something he had not done before. Living a life between milestones in the highways, Ghalib also finds that he has done  500,000 km on the road, the first person in the transport company to do so. 

At the same time, Ghalib realizes his precarious position. On the one hand, his village panchayat back in his hometown in Punjab has decided that he will pay a lump sum in compensation to his wife’s family, which could mean giving up his life’s savings. On the other hand, he is intimidated by the presence of a young intern Pash (Lakshvir Saran), who he fears might replace him. Ghalib has traveled for thousands of miles in his line of work, but when it comes to his own life, he does not know where to go. 

The uncertainties and fears in Ghalib’s life make the story of the Hindi-Punjabi language film “Milestone” (originally, “Meel Patthar”). Co-written and directed by Ivan Ayr, this arthouse cinema first premiered at  the 77th Venice International Film Festival in September 2020 and was screened in various other film festivals around the world before being released on Netflix in May 2021. 

Milestone is a multi-layered film that not only explores the human psyche but also exposes the inequalities in the society and the dynamics between employers and employees, the haves and the haves-not. To an employer, a worker is only good till they can give their best. One sign of weakness and the employer does not hesitate to think of firing even the best employee. The employee for his part is ready to be fired, ready to be replaced by someone younger. This is Ghalib’s situation even as he battles doom and despair in his life. The company that he gave his youth to and sacrificed many sleepless nights for might replace him with someone younger.

The film uses multiple long shots and a bluish color scheme to make the audience internalize the poignancy in the lives of Ghalib and other minor characters attached to him. Every character in every situation in the film feels like a metaphor, something open for the audience to interpret. And the actors, almost all unknown faces with little information about them on the internet, add authenticity to the realistic storytelling. 

Ghalib is riddled with conflicts and so are other characters. But the film does not take it upon itself to resolve them. Milestone makes the audience travel into people’s lives and then leaves them to find their own way. The film progresses at a slow, sluggish pace, giving the audience enough time for self-realization. Like Ghalib’s life, the film goes nowhere. It’s a journey into a world full of metaphors and self-realization. 

Who should watch it?

Ghalib is a close representation of art-films. So naturally the film might not entertain all those used to watching the more conventional kind. The pace is slow and the runtime of 1hr 38mins might feel excruciatingly long if you fail to connect with its theme. But if you do, Milestone is a journey worth taking. 

Ask any Nepali, millennial or older, to name five of their favorite Nepali songs and at least one of them will be by Narayan Gopal. Listen to a group of friends singing Nepali songs at a party, a picnic or a social gathering and you’ll no doubt hear at least one Narayan Gopal song. Tune into any Nepali radio station, any day, and you are bound to meet the soothing voice of Nepal’s Swor Samrat (“Emperor of Voice”).

Even three decades after his untimely demise at the age of 51, Narayan Gopal Guruwacharya’s voice resonates with Nepali households and his songs are among the most played in the music industry. Also recognized as the “King of Tragedy” for his melancholic songs, Narayan Gopal’s three-decade-long musical career (1960 to 1990) saw him reign over the Nepali music industry and set a bar, which his followers argue can never be reached.

ApEx talked to many musicians and music enthusiasts who gave their own reasons behind why Narayan Gopal is the king of Nepali music—a king who can never be dethroned. The list of his evergreen songs and the highest awards and recognitions he received also keep his rich legacy alive.

But what if the Narayan Gopal we know never existed? What would be of the modern Nepali music (adunik sangeet) without the golden voice of the Swor Samrat?

“Without Narayan Gopal, the modern Nepali music would not have reached the same height,” says Bhupendra Man Shakya, a 67-year-old engineer and musician. “To be fair, there were other talented singers at the time including the recently departed Prem Dhoj Pradhan, as well as Bhakta Raj Acharya, but Narayan dai’s voice has its own charm.”

Shakya, who shared the neighborhood of Kilagal with Narayan Gopal and is friends with his younger brothers, calls the singer his “indirect guru.” A music enthusiast who has also recorded and released his own music, Shakya has put up a number of Narayan Gopal covers on his YouTube channel. “I grew up following Narayan dai and trying to copy him. That’s how I learned music,” Shakya says. “I can’t imagine his not being there in the industry. His contributions to Nepali music are unmatched. He raised the standards for everyone.”

Veteran musician Deepak Jangam who composed music for Narayan Gopal in the latter part of the singer’s career—producing hits like “Euta Manche Ko” and “Timilai Ma Ke Bhanu”—also credits him for lifting the Nepali music industry as a whole. The modern Nepali music rested completely on Narayan Gopal’s shoulders, he reckons, and took it to unprecedented heights, so high that singers even to this day are building prosperous careers in his shadow.

“In terms of volume, the number of Narayan Gopal’s songs that became hits is higher than the hits of any other singer in the Nepali music industry,” says Jangam. “He was selective in choosing who to work with and all his songs are lyrically and musically sound and weighty. They have the richness that is hard to replicate.”

In his career as a singer and music composer, Narayan Gopal collaborated with a very limited number of people. He was known to work in a closed circle with musicians Gopal Yonzon and Dibya Khaling and lyricists Bhupi Sherchan and Ishwar Ballav among his contemporaries. Narayan Gopal’s body of work also features Nepali movie songs like “Mohani Lagla Hai”, a duet he sang with India’s first-ever Grammy-nominated singer Asha Bhosle.

“Narayan dai had a strong artistic temperament and it was not very easy to work with him,” says Jangam, recalling the time he was roped in by the Royal Palace to compose the music of “Euta Manche Ko”, the lyrics of which was written by the late Queen Aishwarya under her pen name Chandani Shah. In the mid-80s, Jangam was already under pressure to work for then powerful Royal Palace, which usually roped in musicians from either Radio Nepal or the Royal Nepal Academy. Jangam was the only outsider approached to compose for the Queen’s lyrics. “I made a total of 28 different tunes for the song before Narayan Gopal selected one,” Jangam says. “He was nothing short of perfectionist. That’s why his songs are evergreen.”

The effects of Narayan Gopal’s absence from the music industry would be hard to calculate, says Jangam, but he is sure that the level of maturity of Nepali modern music would be far lower. “It’s not that there would be no progress in Nepali music, but the standards would probably be lower. The overall quality of music would have decreased.”

Narayan Gopal’s meticulousness and earnestness in music making raised the whole industry. His songs are engraved in our minds. “One way to judge the impact of Narayan Gopal in Nepali music is by questioning what came after him,” explains Jangam. “It’s been 31 years since his demise. That is three generations as far as the music industry is concerned.

Even after all these years, the fact that Narayan Gopal’s music still reigns supreme and not a single name has come close to replacing him suggests that his absence would have left a huge void in Nepali music. “Even though he left long ago, his songs still are benchmarks for new singers and musicians,” adds Jangam.

Singer and music educator Ajar Jangam, who is also the son of Deepak Jangam, reemphasizes Narayan Gopal’s irreplaceability. An accomplished singer with many national-level awards to his name, Ajar is also the recipient of the state-organized ‘Narayan Gopal Sangeet Purashkaar.’ Narayan Gopal being a huge inspiration for his music, Ajar is a regular performer at the annual ‘Narayan Gopal Smriti Diwas’ held at the late singer’s residence at Maharjagunj. “It is one of the biggest stages for singers of our genre and I have had the privilege of performing there regularly for the past 15 years,” says Ajar.

As a student of music-turned-educator, the PhD candidate in music has a slightly different opinion on the reasons behind Narayan Gopal’s success. It is not only his music, Ajar says, that captivated people’s minds. You also have to factor in the many controversies related to him as well as his untimely death. Along with that, the quality of music the selective singer produced makes him an immortal.

“If you look at other singers around his time, they have a maximum of five to six well recognized songs,” Ajar says. “In the case of Narayan Gopal, almost his entire discography consists of golden hits that people still remember.” It was the late singer’s hard work, dedication and work ethics that raised the bar for everyone. The peak he took modern music to, avers Ajar, would never have been scaled had he not been in the scene. “He was not just a master singer but was also very well-read and constantly kept educating himself,” Ajar says. “These are the reasons that make him one-of-a-kind. It is because of him that modern music got a big push in the initial stage and has now become one of the biggest genres in the industry. It would not have been possible without him.”

Singer Preeti Kaur has similar views. “There has been no one with vocal qualities and musical sense of Narayan Gopal,” Kaur says, also finding it difficult to answer the ‘what if’ question on Gopal’s absence. There would have been someone else, she says. But would the posterity remember that person in the same way, she doesn’t know? As for the title of ‘Swor Samrat’, Kaur would nominate singer Bacchu Kailash for it, while still admitting that the audience have always been closer and more emotionally attached to Narayan Gopal’s songs.

Street smarts 

Surendra Bahadur Singh, 58

We would have been deprived of one of the most dedicated singers to grace the Nepali music industry.

Janaki Silwal, 52

Prem Dhoj Pradhan would have gotten more attention. But he wouldn’t have received the title of Swor Samrat. That belongs only to Narayan Gopal.

Krishna Prasad Kafle, 39

I don't think any other singer would get the title of 'Swor Samrat'. He got all the plaudits because of his hard work and dedication. The Nepali music industry would not be the same. 

Madhu Adhikari, 36

We wouldn’t have had a singer who was equally loved by children, adults and elderlies alike.

Rakesh Yadav, 28

We wouldn’t have Ram Krishna Dhakal who grew up singing Narayan Gopal’s songs and modeled his singing style after him. Without Narayan Gopal, we would have no voice for the late composer Gopal Yonjan, who gave a glut of music to our industry. Also Radio Nepal wouldn’t have been as widely heard without his voice.

Pranaya Shrestha, 28

If he didn’t exist, we would never know the beautiful songs that lift you up during tough times. Also, were it not for him, very few would listen to old songs.

Kelvin Malakar, 27

Narayan Gopal is to Nepali music industry what The Beatles are to world music. He’s inspired countless people to pick up music. Otherwise many of today’s famous Nepali singers wouldn’t even have taken music seriously.

Rozina Baral, 23

There probably wouldn’t be that one old Nepali song that everyone in every generation hums along.

Suprabha Bhusal, 23

I wouldn’t get a taste of real Nepali classical music. Narayan Gopal’s songs fascinated me and got me hooked to classical songs. He had that magic in his voice.

Samikshya Adhikari, 22

Our understanding of music would be incomplete without Narayan Gopal. He introduced music to youths. It’s not that there were no other great singers. But it was his music that got people listening to Nepali songs.

Susan Chaudhary, 21

If Narayan Gopal didn’t exist, the generation would have gotten another musical legend. No doubt his songs are hits but in his absence the music industry would still flourish. The music industry isn’t defined by an individual but is a collaborative effort. However, he did exist and we are forever thankful for his contribution.

Kartabya Regmi, 18

Without Narayan Gopal, we wouldn't get songs that transcend generational boundaries. Even someone from my generation can easily relate to his songs.