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When you sit down for a conversation with her, she gives the vibe of a researcher who can’t wait to explain her findings—which she knows will make an impact on the audience. To be fair, she is no less of a researcher herself. At only 23, guitarist Adhishree Dhungana has researched almost every genre of music. Humble despite skills that would make any other professional musician conscious of their capabilities, Dhungana still sees herself as a student.

Music made its way into Dhungana’s life early, at the age of seven. “Nobody in my family is a musician but my uncle was a music enthusiast who could play the madal, flute, harmonium and a bit of guitar,” Dhungana says. “He inspired me to play”. The guitar was not her first instrument of choice though. She started with madal and then wanted to learn to play the drums. “But at that point in time, a drum-set was a huge investment and no one would make that investment for me. So I picked up a guitar which was just lying there at home,” she says.

Her journey with the guitar then took her into an exploration of the vast realm of music, and she feels she still has much to explore. “I want to formally study music now,” Dhungana, a self-taught guitarist, says. “I want to go abroad to study composition and performance.” Recalling the time she began learning music, she cites her older sister's iPod as her main music source. She found John Scofield and John Mayer interesting, among other musicians on the playlist, and began emulating them.

“Then my seniors also helped me a lot. Growing up and trying to learn guitar, I didn't even know who Jimi Hendrix was,” Dhungana says. “My seniors were like—Oh you don’t know Jimi Hendrix?—and gave me his music.” She continued learning from her seniors and peers and never had to take formal lessons to build her mastery.

As for family, as in the case of most aspiring musicians in the country, they were not very supportive in the beginning. There was this skepticism about her making a career in music, and that had little to do with her gender, she says. Her problem was, her family did not take her seriously when she told them she wanted to be a professional musician. It took time but things changed when she started earning from her music, and now her family has finally come around to supporting her career decision.

“Still, there were people who kept reminding me that this is just a hobby and not something I would want to study or commit to as a profession. Also, as I’m a girl, I shouldn’t be doing so many late nights,” she says, recalling the times when she played in Thamel as a teenager and was not taken seriously, even by some of her colleagues.

With a quiet, calm and collected personality, she did not do much to change people’s opinions. Then she started finding regular work as a guitarist, despite all the odds, and started making her own music too. Dhungana has now worked as a session guitarist in studios, mostly for jingles, and played with various musicians including the famous Bartika Eam Rai and the Bangalore-based folk rock band Gauley Bhai.

Inspired by international artists like Charlie Hunter, Spanky Alford and Emily Remler, to name a few, Dhungana also names US-based Nepali musician Diwash Gurung and guitarist Binayak Shah as her inspirations. Influenced by what she learns from them, Dhungana has in her recordings managed to create a unique sound for herself, which is audibly distinguishable.

The pandemic did alter her plans, but Dhungana admits she is privileged enough not have to depend on live shows for her living. “Still, it is something that I really miss. And I’d love to play live more for my sanity than for the money,” she says. At present, besides being involved in the folk fusion group Baaja, Dhungana is also working with a set of musicians to give shape to her original compositions. “We do not even have a name for it yet. We’re just testing the waters,” Dhungana says. “Hopefully we’ll get to play a few shows soon. This year I’m also looking forward to doing some solo shows with my own compositions.”

A young man working as a tourist guide gets a foreign woman as a client for a few weeks. Coming from two different ends of the world, there is a vast difference between them and they don’t quite hit it off initially. But as time passes, they began to understand each other and ultimately fall in love, keeping all their differences aside.

The story for the Indian Malayalam-language movie “Kilometers and Kilometers” is not exactly new. It has probably been repeated by almost every film industry in the Indian subcontinent and maybe even beyond. Anyone living in tourism-related areas will also tell you that this is a true story or at least narrate to you something similar happen with someone they know.

In the film, featured this week in Netflix’s new release section, writer/director Jeo Baby takes a regular story and presents it craftily to make for an enjoyable watch. The road film has some exquisite shots of southern India and impressive acting performances by a small cast of talented actors.

Josemon (Tovino Thomas) is a local handyman in a rural village in Kottayam, Kerala. As the sole breadwinner for a family of three (including his mother and sister) and under huge debt from local lenders as well as the bank, Josemon decides to take a gig as a tourist guide-cum-driver for Cathy (India Jarvis). The girl is an American who’s just won a big lottery and is touring the world with the money.

Although a passionate biker, Josemon is an un-experienced guide who struggles to understand English. Cathy on the other hand is a demanding tourist who doesn’t like quite like Josemon’s inefficiency at the start. But by some turn of events, they’re stuck together, traveling from Kerala through Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Rajasthan on a motorcycle. The rest of the story—you’ve already read, almost until the climax, save for a few alterations in the screenplay to serve their purpose. 

Frankly, we do not really watch rom-coms for their ingenious stories. Almost all these movies are made in the same ‘boy-meets-girl and so on’ formula that begin and end on similar patterns. Exceptions do apply. There are no exceptions in Kilometers and Kilometers though. The story is the same. Yet the screenplay adds a distinctive touch that does not let it be just another love story.

Better than the script is the acting though. Both the lead actors as well as the supporting cast deliver a non-grandiose performance that makes their character seem like a part of the society we live in. For a low-budget film, unpretentious acting has worked wonders. The performances are exact opposite of what we see in mainstream South Indian movies. But again, Malayalam has always had our hearts for being grounded in reality and for adhering to the laws of physics. (Pun intended.)

American actress India Jarvis deserves a round of applause for her performance. Jarvis seems comfortable in her character, which begins as a rich, arrogant young woman and transitions to someone who has found love and is willing to make sacrifices for it. Jarvis’ character changes dramatically in the film and yet she does not lose her mojo till the very end.

One can rest assured that she’s not just another ‘white face’ that Indian movies use for popularity. (Reference: Salman Khan films in the past couple of decades.) Jarvis turns out to be a well-trained actress and her inclusion is definitely justified by her performance.

Who should watch it?

The Valentine’s month is here and so I’ll most probably be reviewing a few more feel-good rom-coms you can watch with your someone special, or even alone if you’re yet to find someone. Kilometers and Kilometers definitely gets into the list of pleasantly watchable romantic movies this season.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Run time: 2hrs 9mins

Actors:  Tovino Thomas, India Jarvis

Director: Jeo Baby

Genre: Comedy/drama

“Murder a man, and you feel responsible for his life—possessive, even. You know more about him than his father and mother; they knew his fetus, but you know his purpose. Only you can complete the story of his life.”

I first read these lines in Aravind Adiga’s 2008 novel “The White Tiger”, back in 2015. I was shocked by the amount of brutality the book offered, in the simplest ways possible. I knew then and there that this Man Booker Prize winning novel would be adapted into a movie. I knew the possibilities would be huge and if the said movie carried even half the book’s intensity, it would be a hit.

Little did I expect that a newcomer in Bollywood would get the most important role of Balram Halwai aka Munna, the protagonist. In the movie “The White Tiger”, 26-year-old actor Adarsh Gourav gets his debut lead role and to justify his casting, gives the performance of a lifetime.

Balram, born among the underclass in rural Laxmangarh, is told as a child that he is a white tiger—someone who comes only once in a generation. A bright student, Balram’s dream of completing his education is cut short when he is forced to work at the village teahouse to clear his family debt.

But the ambitious Balram will not give up. He will not be caged in the ‘chicken coop’ forever, unlike his father and brother and rest of the family. He will break the shackles of poverty to cross to the brighter side of India— from the utter darkness his people currently inhabit.

To realize his ambitions, Balram decides to be a driver for Ashok (Rajkummar Rao) and Pinky (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), an America-returned couple. Ashok is also the son of Laxmangarh’s notorious landlord ‘The Stork’ (Mahesh Manjrekar), to whom Balram’s family is indebted. A cunning Balram connives his way into Ashok’s house and then into his life, tying his master’s faith with himself.

Told in flashbacks, the film’s narration tells the harrowing tale of Balram and his road to entrepreneurship. The path for a ‘servant’ to become a ‘master’ is not as clean and straight as shown in orthodox Bollywood movies. In The White Tiger, the audience sees what the struggle of crossing over means for those from the subclass. While doing so, the morality of almost every character in the film is questioned, leaving no one unscathed. This way, the film explores the dark sides of human nature.

Directed and adapted for the screen with some improvisations by Ramin Bahrani, the film relies heavily on writer Adiga’s wordplay. Adiga’s storytelling is dark, unapologetic and unforgiving. The same essence has been captured in the film, including through the cinematography, which catches the throbbing pulse of the story and never leaves it. Looking at the 2hrs 5mins run time, one might think the film is lengthy but this is one of those gritty slow-burners that will keep you entertained through and through.

Yes, the screenplay, cinematography, and direction are exceptional. But in all fairness, no one deserves as much accolade as the actor Adarsh Gourav. His character of Balram has so many layers of personalities, embodying him is itself a challenge. And to do that while you put some of the most experienced actors in the backseat, both literally and figuratively, is no small feat. Gourav embraces Balram’s life as his own and grows with him on his journey from a servant to an entrepreneur.

Who should watch it?

The White Tiger, as a standalone movie, is a brilliant piece of work. But honestly, if you’ve read the book, you might find it still does not match the intensity. Not to take away anything from the movie though. Adiga’s book is a masterpiece that comes once in a generation. So if you have not read the book, chances are that you will pit The White Tiger against some of the best movies you’ve watched. And even if you read it, the cinematic representation is thoroughly enjoyable as well.

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Crime/Drama

Cast: Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajkummar Rao

Director: Ramin Bahrani

Run time: 2hrs 5mins

The Covid-19 pandemic pummeled the global airline industry. Many airline companies had to cut costs, downsize, even sell off properties. Some airlines collapsed and had to declare bankruptcy, including the famous Virgin Australia.

According to a report published on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) website, the year 2020 (January-December) saw 51 percent reduction in the number of seats offered by airlines, as 2,851 million potential passengers could not travel, resulting in an approximate $391 billion loss in operating revenues.

In Nepal, the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) estimates a loss of around Rs 10.62 billion for domestic airlines in the March-December period last year. Among them, Buddha Air—one of the oldest private airline companies in the country—was the biggest loser, with approximately Rs 3.60 billion in forgone revenues. Shree Airlines came second (Rs 2 billion loss), and Yeti Airlines and Tara Air joint third (Rs 1.5 billion each).

When more developed countries were planning huge stimulus packages for their airline industries, the Nepali government waived off 75 percent parking fees, as well as ATC fees and other customary charges. But that was small relief for airline operators.

Although things are seemingly getting back to normal—even without vaccines or other interventions to cut Covid-19 infection rates—the airline operators are still struggling. The current reduced fares ensure most flights are occupied and the domestic terminals are busy as ever. But airline operators tell us that without international tourists, they can never hope to recover their losses.

“These are just survival flights,” says Anoj Rimal, CEO of Yeti Airlines. “The fares for Nepali passengers is too low for us to recover our losses. We can’t pull through without international tourists.” Rimal explains that even when regular flights are filled with domestic passengers, tourism hotspots like Pokhara, Bharatpur and mountain flights will not bring the airlines enough revenue without international tourists.

As for the cheap fares, Rimal attributes them to greater competition among airline operators in Nepal. The airfares should always be affordable to Nepali passengers, Rimal adds, and currently, almost all airline companies are looking to ensure cash flow rather than to make profits.

Will the fares start going up when tourists start coming? Rimal says that depends on the revenue management system of airline companies. Also, the plane fares are priced within the limits set by the government. But the current prices are definitely not sustainable, Rimal adds, and they might go up.

In 2020, the recently ousted Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Minister Yogesh Bhattarai was planning to remove the practice of “dollar fare” in Nepali aviation and ensure equal fares for all passengers. “Dollar fare” is a mechanism where foreign tourists pay more for flights to the same destination compared to Nepalis. When asked about the propose change, Rimal retorts that the rule is not applicable to Nepal. “Nepalis get to fly at reasonable rates only because tourists pay more,” he says.

No airline in Nepal would survive without the tourists paying more. You see the same practice in other countries, Rimal adds, with a warning that if the rule is enforced, almost all Nepali airlines will go bankrupt.

Rupesh Joshi, Director of the Marketing, Sales and Ground Handling Department for Buddha Air, also deems the equal fare rule impossible to apply in Nepal. Buddha Air has protested against its possible enforcement in the past and will continue to contest it.

On the operations front, Joshi informs that owing to its many years of operations and legacy, the airline company is in a better shape than most of its competitors. With Rs 3.6 billion of total projected revenue loss, Buddha Air’s actual monthly losses were around Rs 70 to 80 million when operations were closed.

The company is now on a stable road to recovery, Joshi informs, with almost 95 percent occupancy on all routes. Buddha Air expects to reach breakeven soon at this rate. But even for this airline, which owns 13 aircrafts and operates 33 flight routes over 15 destinations across the country, the chances of profits are low without foreign tourists. “We can’t think profits without foreign tourists,” Joshi says. “Domestic passengers will only help us sustain till international travel resumes.”

As for the influx of domestic passengers and reduced fares, Joshi informs that besides tough competition, you also have to factor in decreases in fuel price and other operation costs. Owing to low fuel prices, airlines are attracting passengers who previously took road transport because the total cost of reaching the destination has become almost the same and flights are comparatively safer and faster.

Compared to airplane services, which have become a major mode of transport in Nepal in last few years, the helicopter industry that makes remote areas accessible and is almost exclusively dependent on foreign tourists is under greater threat. According to data provided by AOAN, between March and December 2020, the helicopter industry lost almost Rs 800 million. The total foreign exchange revenue loss for the two tourist seasons in 2020 amounted to approximately Rs. 1.8 billion.

“As the helicopter business gets over 95 percent of its revenues from tourism-activities in the Everest Area and Pokhara, it is going to have the hardest time recovering,” says Yograj Kandel, spokesperson for AOAN. “Overall revenues for helicopter industry was almost nil in 2020 and a swift revival looks unlikely. So, this segment of Nepali aviation is headed for a total collapse.” The collapse, if it happens, will also affect the banking sector as the helicopter industry alone has a debt of approximately Rs 4.3 billion as of December 2020.

Yogesh Sapkota, chief marketing officer at Simrik Air, informs that although there is small amount of business from the local market, the company is dependent on foreign tourists. “For us, if there are no foreign tourists, there is no work,” Sapkota says. “What we make from some chartered flights and domestic tourists is not even enough to pay the insurance fees of our helicopters.”

Adding to the woes of helicopter companies is that even when there is no business, operating costs are still almost the same. “It is not an industry that can be shut for a while and then resume when the business is back,” Sapkota says. “Owing to mechanical and technical requirements and to adhere to the norms of civil aviation, we have to keep our machines operational. We have to move our rotors every day.”

Even as domestic flights are generating day to day expenses for domestic airlines, the helicopter industry has no such fallback option. As things stand, there is no scope for recouping operating costs let alone breaking even. “Still, the hope that there will be a vaccine someday and tourists will start coming again is what’s keeping the helicopter businesses from shutting forever,” Sapkota says. “We go to work every day dreaming that the next day will be better. That’s how we spent the whole of last year.”

What aspects of a movie draw your attention from the very beginning? The casting? The opening scene? Cinematography? Acting? The introduction of characters? Have you ever had an instance when around 15 minutes down the line, you realize the film’s background score is so good that you re-watch from the beginning again just to pay more attention to it? Oh the perks of modern technology.

Although background scores and non-choreographed original sound tracks (OSTs) have a major hand in making what’s playing on the screen relevant, most of the time they are barely noticed unless they really stand out. The 2018 Tamil language crime-thriller “Vanjagar Ulagam” (“World of crafty people”) was a surprise though. It came as a random suggestion and became one of the best movies I have watched this year, mostly because of its music. In fact, it was not even on my review list initially but replaced a major Bollywood star’s release in this column. Thanks mostly to its music.

Vangajar Ulagam’s story revolves around Shanmugam alias Shaam (Ciby Bhuvana Chandran), who one day wakes up from a drunk stupor to find that he is accused of murdering his neighbor, Mythili (Chandini Tamilarasan). Shaam has no alibi and nothing to establish his whereabouts on the murder night. But his co-worker, investigative journalist Vishagan (Vishagan Vanangamudi), believes that the murder has a bigger backstory and is the ploy of a sinister criminal called Sampath/Durai Raj (Guru Somasundaram), who is also wanted by cops for multiple crimes. Thus begins the cat-and-mouse story of journalists, police officers and criminals all chasing each other throughout the film.

The plot of Vangajar Ulagam is relatively new, well-written and the screenplay holds the film together till the end. Writer/director Manoj Beedha uses a relatively unknown cast in lead roles and yet manages to create a cult classic-like vibe with the unsophisticated proceedings. Without the infamous, larger-than-life actors with “star” in their prefixes, the film relies on acting talents of the cast and the elegantly simple filmmaking instead of gaudy gimmicks.

Now coming back to the movie’s best part, the music by Sam C.S. literally stands out. With only three OSTs in the whole film and the rest as background score, sound design in Vangajar Ulagam is phenomenal. There’s a lot of Carnatic influence in the scores, accompanied by electronic music, mainly dubstep. Then there’s an addition of modern jazz and some really mean metal sounds. Combined with excellent cinematography, the music creates a cinematic experience that is mystical and trance-like. The film stays true to all genres of music it uses. Instead of the emulated facsimiles of rock, metal and jazz that mainstream Indian cinema usually creates, the music in Vangajar Ulagam is raw, punchy and hits you hard.

Another stand-out along with the music is the performance of Guru Somasundaram as Sampath/Durai Raj: the actor playing an eccentric criminal mastermind with a dark secret is convincing.

His physical appearance, dialogue delivery and facial expressions all align to give a realistic touch to the persona he embodies. Without any disrespect to other actors, Guru’s Sampath/Durai Raj alone seems like the inspiration behind the trippy background music.

If only the climax had been better the film would probably have gotten more popularity. Because despite the film’s chances of becoming a cult classic and a major twist in the end, including a shocking revelation, the climax seems to lack the intensity expected of a film that is consistently captivating for the most part.

Who should watch it?

This is a film we recommend not only to thriller movie fans but also to music lovers. Vangajar Ulagam is a treat to watch and listen to. This is one Netflix film that should come with a “must wear headphones” recommendation because the music hits you hard.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Genre: Crime/thriller

Actors: Ciby Bhuvana Chandran, Guru Somasundaram

Director: Manoj Beedha

Run time: 2hrs 2mins

Are you connected to the internet? Social media? Do you have secrets you shared with someone online? Skeletons that, if they are out of the closet, will make you want to go hide inside one? Or personal information you’d never want to make public? Even if the secret might not be that big, taken out of context, it can blow out of proportion and completely destroy your reputation in days, if not hours.

This is what happens to the people of Salem, Massachusetts in “Assassination Nation.” The city goes berserk when a hacker gets into the phones and computers of almost half the city’s population and publishes their personal secrets online.

In the process, an anti-gay mayoral candidate’s secret as a cross-dresser who hires male escorts starts circulating in the city, completely destroying his career. Then a high school principal is adjudged a pedophile as he has some pictures of his six-year-old daughter taking a bath. Similarly, a lot of personal information about people of Salem circulates on the internet, breaking reputations and causing enmities.

In all of this, high school friends Lily Colson (Odessa Young), Bex Warren (Hari Nef), Em (Abra) and Sarah Lacey (Suki Waterhouse) are the main victims. Not only do they have to cope with the hack among themselves, they also have to survive the angry city mob set out for their blood because they’re blamed for all that’s happening. Basically, the city wants to make them a scapegoat.

Written and directed by Sam Levinson, Assassination Nation is not exactly a fresh release. It originally premiered in theaters in September 2018 but popped up on Netflix’s new releases section only recently. And don’t get fooled by the name. Although it sounds like an outright action/thriller movie, Assassination Nation is actually a dark comedy that assassinates the character of the judgmental folks in our society. The film is a satire on how fragile people’s privacy has become in this modern world because of technology and how vulnerable we have become to internet terrorists.

Stylistically, Assassination Nation is a young film, with most of its story revolving around teenagers and their lives. Using young people, their lifestyles and dialect, the film tackles the issues of bullying, classism, drug use, toxic masculinity, homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism and much more. With its sassy and sophisticated styling, the film exposes the horrors of American society, which at the same time might reflect those of most modern societies the world-around.

Giving a big hand to the film’s storytelling is its cinematography. The 1h 48mins long film is fast paced and changes motifs quickly. Sometimes so quick that some characters do not even get time to establish themselves. There is just too much happening—sex, violence, treachery, camaraderie, drugs and all. The screenplay hence feels rushed at times. But through all the stormy proceedings, Marcell Rév’s cinematography stays coherent.

The cinematography suits the film’s grand design. It strangely lets the audience sit back and enjoy a chaotic grind without struggling to make sense of what’s going on. The camera angles are mostly unorthodox and sometimes extraordinarily brilliant. A few single-take long shots make you wonder how the scenes were perfected.

Who should watch it?

The film, with the daily lives of the generation-z at its center, can definitely be watched by people of all generations. Assassination Nations speaks nothing but the truth. Even with fictional liberties in the making and a few stylistic exaggerations, the film stays true to its subject.

Rating: 3 stars

Genre: Dark comedy/Thriller

Director: Sam Levinson

Actors: Odessa Young, Hari Nef, Abra, Suki Waterhouse

Run time: 1hr 48mins

Most Kathmanduites complained of having strange sensations on January 4, Monday. On the unusually dark and foggy day, social media was filled with people’s woes about a burning sensation in their eyes. Some also reported breathing difficulties and experienced symptoms typical of dust allergies even though they had never left their homes that day.

It was only 4:45 in the evening and this scribe had to drive home with his lights on. The visibility was abysmal.

That evening, Laxmi Maharjan, a septuagenarian, was sitting at his grocery store in Dhapasi with a concerned look on his face. The usually busy store was completely empty and under layers of clothing and sporting a big mask, its owner looked like he was prepared to climb a mountain. “I have seen many winters and experienced all kinds of fogs, mists and storms. But this is nothing like them. This is scary,” he says.

Like Maharjan, most people in the area had an agitated countenance as they looked around, trying to find the source of the thick smog that was creeping into their homes. The vegetable stands and street hawkers in inner roads had deserted their posts early, adding to the gloominess of the environment. The few people who remained on the street speculated that the smoke could be coming from a wildfire in the jungles on the valley’s outskirts while others complained of people burning garbage somewhere in the neighborhood.

Kathmandu saw a record level of air pollution on the day, with some places crossing the Air Quality Index (AQI) of 600 at one point. In the process, it became the most polluted city in the world, beating New Delhi and Dhaka for the top spot.

According to measurements at the US Embassy measuring station at Phohara Durbar, that day, the index was above 500 from 10pm to 5am; it had fallen to 480 at 7 am the next day. Internationally, an AQI between 101-150 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. AQI of 301 or higher is considered hazardous, which puts everyone at risk, and the state is generally held responsible of enforcing a public health emergency. (Reference: The US Environmental Protection Agency.)

A provision in Kathmandu Valley’s Air Pollution Management Action Plan allows the authorities to declare a public health emergency when AQI readings exceed 300. But, in this case, the government decided to do sit idle, even as the health and wellbeing of millions were on the line. The city’s air quality got better in the following days, yet environmentalists and health professionals continued to warn of severe consequences.

Health hazards

Dr. Anup Bastola, chief consultant for tropical medicine at the Ministry of Health and Population, is concerned about the adverse impact of low-quality air on general population. “The chemicals in the polluted air could harm everyone, especially children, elderly and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions,” Bastola says. “This can induce allergies and asthma in children and will badly affect those recovering from pneumonia or similar respiratory diseases.”

As for Covid-19 patients, Bastola says that although vigilance is required, the polluted air is unlikely to have a major effect on those with the coronavirus but without respiratory problems. Things could be more complicated for patients suffering from Covid-induced pneumonia.

ENT surgeon Dr Samyam Parajuli has similar fears. The polluted air is causing various kinds of allergy-induced pharyngitis and sinusitis. In the long run, this could result in asthma, tuberculosis and even lung cancer. “Polluted air also creates occupational hazards for certain professions,” Parajuli adds. “In these situations, to mitigate the dangers, we have to avoid outdoor activities as much as possible, use masks, take steam, and do warm-water gargles.”

Bad evenings, worse mornings

Environmentalist Bhushan Tuladhar lays out possible reasons behind record-breaking air pollution in Kathmandu. “Kathmandu’s bowl-shaped geography when capped by dense clouds makes for a noxious atmosphere,” Tuladhar says. Normally, either the polluted air rises high in atmosphere and gets replaced by fresher air. Or the air’s west-to-east movement cleans Kathmandu’s air. “But as dense clouds covered Kathmandu on January 4, the polluted air could not be replaced, resulting in record levels of pollution.”

What concerns Tuladhar more is that the pollutants floating in the air that day were from Kathmandu itself. The air in the densely-populated city was already polluted, and was made truly unbreathable on the day by a few other factors. “As its peak winter, people are lighting up fires to stay warm. There is also a lot of garbage-burning happening in Kathmandu. These are new sources of air pollution,” Tuladhar says. “Along with that, I think we were also affected by wildfires in Kaski, Dhading and Langtang regions.”

The weather appears clearer at present and the AQI has been reduced to 185 (10:45, Jan 7, IQAir), yet the problem of air pollution in Kathmandu persists. A reading of 185 is still unhealthy and if the government does not intervene, the problem will get worse. Even now, the mornings are marked by heavy mist and fog, as the air thickens with pollutants. “The air is cleaner around 12- or 1 pm in the afternoon. But when the temperature drops in the evening, the unhealthy smog is back,” Tuladhar says. He also attributes this winter’s high air pollution to lack of rain.

“There are certain short term measures the government can take,” Tuladhar says. “If the government wants, it can start with a crack-down on garbage-burning. Every ward has a mechanism to do so.” Also, he adds, the vehicles that emit large amounts of toxic gases can be identified and removed from the roads immediately.

For the long run, the government has plans awaiting implementation, Tuladhar informs. “Only a month ago, the cabinet passed a work-plan on cleaning Kathmandu’s air. That plan incorporates everything from transport-related air pollution to waste management,” he says. “If it’s implemented well, Kathmandu’s air will definitely be cleaner.”

Flight risk

A pilot with a local airline, who refused to reveal his identity for professional reasons, says flying in this weather is a big risk. “Kathmandu’s airport does not have a proper device to measure visibility,” he says. “The required visibility is 1,600 meters. The control tower uses a building as a landmark to measure this. When they see the building clearly, the visibility is considered high. When they don’t it, visibility is considered low. That’s how it is being done here and that’s risky.”

Recalling a January 4 flight, the pilot narrates how his flight had to face a dense layer of smog as he tried to enter Kathmandu from above. Visibility was almost zero, he says. In these weather conditions, flying in Nepal is a big risk. But the pilots and air traffic controllers are under pressure from airline companies to keep working even in the most trying circumstances.

French adventure-comedy film “The Climb” (French: L’ascension) recently popped up as a suggestion on my Netflix profile. More noticeably, a Nepali friend had posted about it on his Facebook wall a little ago, calling it a “beautiful French film which was mostly shot in Nepal.” Strangely, I don’t remember hearing anything about an international film shot in Nepal around 2016, except for Marvel’s “Doctor Strange”. 

The production of  “The Climb” seems to have happened without much hullabaloo and it is a nice experience to watch a foreign movie you’ve never heard about that’s been shot in your country and which features something we Nepalis are all proud of—Mount Everest. Also, as this is not a Hollywood movie, it doesn’t have those weird colored filters that Western movies usually give poor Asian countries. The Climb approaches Nepal naturally, like any other country, and that’s what makes the film beautiful. So you know already that you’re going to read a positive review.

Samy Diakhate (Ahmed Sylla) is a 26-year-old French of Senegalese origin from the Cité des 4000 in La Courneuve. The unemployed young man is madly in love with his childhood friend Nadia (Alice Belaïdi) who he briefly dated back in middle school. Nadia, although reciprocating some of Samy’s affection, is skeptical of his commitment issues. In response, Samy claims he would climb the world’s highest peak to prove himself. Unaware of Samy’s earnestness, Nadia accepts the dare.

So Samy, without any previous training, actually sets out to embark on this perilous journey that his local radio station RJs say will make him the “furthest out black guy on the planet.” As strange as the plot sounds, it is not entirely fictional. The Climb is loosely based on Nadir Dendoune, who became the first French-Algerian to go up Everest in 2008—remarkably, without any experience in mountain-climbing.

As the film progresses, we know climbing the mountain is only half the challenge before Samy. He also has to deal with the ridicule of people around him and all other odds pitted heavily against him. But unlike most things he committed to in the past, this time his resilience stays intact. Unable to afford the trip on his own, Samy even manages to find a sponsor for his Mount Everest sojourn.

The Climb, unlike what its name suggests, is not an out-and-out mountaineering movie—at least not like “Everest” (2015). The ascent here is not only physical but also metaphorical. The challenges before Samy are tough Himalayan terrains but also life’s vissicitudes. And he is at the center of it all, representing the youth of his race, class and region in France.

As for the majestic Everest and its ascent, there is again no Hollywood-like glorification of the journey. Samy is your next-door humorous and affable guy. And that’s how he remains all through the movie. He is not scared to show his fears and his determination is grounded in reality. His adventures are also shown in the most realistic way, making the storytelling feel honest.

The film flies the audience from France and directly lands them in Thamel, the heart of Kathmandu, and then takes them gradually to Everest, a step at a time. This is another of the movie’s interesting features. It shows the whole process of a climber reaching the top of the world, which could be a learning experience even for us who live right below Everest. The various stages of the journey, from Kathmandu to Lukla to Namche Bazar onwards, and the lives of the people from different parts of the world that collide on the trail, are both realistic and fascinating.

Who should watch it?

Instead of unabashedly glorifying Mount Everest as most movies made on the subject do, The Climb offers it a humble tribute. It also low-key glorifies the real heroes of the Himalayas—the Sherpas. The movie itself is a combination of good acting also featuring a small Nepali cast, superb storytelling and brilliant direction. So there’s no reason to miss out on this one over Netflix.

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Adventure/Comedy

Actors: Ahmed Sylla, Alice Belaïdi

Director: Ludovic Bernard

Run time: 1h 43mins