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When someone who only watches orthodox movies logs into the digital world of Netflix in this corona-included forced break from theaters, the surprises they encounter can be innumerable. It’s a free world of creativity where masala film formulas are tossed out of the window. No wonder countless actors, writers, directors and producers from mainstream cinema have camped to the digital world to showcase their true potential.

“Guilty”—a Netflix original—is one such film that breaks the boundaries of industrial production and brings a fresh narrative that would not fit into a commercial Bollywood cinema. It is a crime thriller that questions the notion of ‘privilege’—the specific socio-economic advantage each of us enjoys thanks to our unique circumstances and upbringings. 

Guilty builds an alleged crime in a college, and how the police, courts, media and society treats the case depending on whether they are included towards the accuser or the accused. Tanu Kumar (Akansha Ranjan Kapoor), a scholarship student accuses college heartthrob Vijay Pratap Singh (Gurfateh Pirzada) of rape. The accused, his girlfriend Nanki Dutta (Kiara Advani) and Vijay’s friends in turn claim that it was consensual and that Tanu was an “easy woman” whom Vijay did not have to force into anything. 

This allegation is at the root of the story, as both the accuser and the accused strive to be heard. Vijay is the son of a wealthy politician and Tanu a low-middle class student. But despite the vast difference in their economic and social backgrounds, the power struggle between them intense. The story, with ample plot twists and turns to qualify as an intriguing thriller, is a complex interweaving of the harsh realities of the society.

Director Ruchi Narain (also the cowriter) does a commendable job of putting together this highly relatable movie. It is a fight between the rich and the poor; the popular and the unpopular; the oppressor and the oppressed—with each side having their supporters who in turn are influenced by their own agendas. Vijay’s girlfriend Nanki, a ‘problem child’ struggling from a mental disorder, takes it upon herself to investigate her cheating boyfriend. 
We see the change in power dynamics through Nanki’s eyes and there are revelations that surprise, shock and unsettle us. 

Bollywood actress Kiara Advani as Nanki steals the show. Appearing with a host of other actors, some of whom have also appeared in Bollywood movies, Kiara is a fun-loving college student turned protective girlfriend and informal crime investigator, and she convinces in each role. With her own skeletons to hide, Nanki is the most layered character in the film and the most important as her character shadows every other. She takes the audience deep into her mind and repeatedly shocks them.

Who should watch it?

Guilty has moments that make us all question our privileges. Yes, you will be entertained. But Guilty also gives you life lessons and changes how you look at and evaluate others.

Guilty

Rating: 3.5 stars
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Run time: 1 hr 49 mins
Actors: Kiara Advani, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, Gurfateh Pirzada
Director: Ruchi Narain 

When the “Catch 22” was formed in 1996 in Kathmandu, it was a unique outfit of talented musicians who could, even back then, actually play their respective instruments, rather than only posing with them. They were able to justify their recordings with equally accomplished live performances. With Prallen Pradhan on drums and vocals, popular Indian musician Chris Masand on keyboards, Raja Rubin Sinha on guitars, and Niraj “Priest” on bass, the rock-inspired band with incorporated elements of blues and jazz took off. 

In 1997, the band released its debut album “A Raat Ko Charaa” which sold hand-to-hand in colleges and friend circles. The album did well considering the market it catered to, but it’s the band’s later singles like “Kathmandu” (1998) and “Ojhel” (2001) that would give the outfit wider popularity. The music videos of these songs were made in early days of commercial Nepali music and paved a way for the mainstreaming of rock music.

With a changed lineup, in 2007 the band released its second album “Plan B”, giving us the rock riff-based hit “Yatri.” The band, unfortunately, was forced into another hiatus after that.

“You can take the boys out of music but you can never take music out of the boys,” says Prallen Pradhan, the vocalist. “The hiatus was painful as some members could not see the same big picture we had in our minds. And the people who didn’t leave the sinking ship eventually formed the current lineup.” Sun Dangol (guitars) was already a close associate of the band since 2004. Sanam Shrestha (drums) was a big catalyst in getting the band back together and new additions followed in the form of Sonam Bhutia (bass) and Amit Khadgi (rhythm and second lead guitar) to form the current Catch 22 lineup.

The comeback owes to Prallen’s expressive self and the determination not to let the band’s legacy fade. “Ojhel,” “Kathmandu” and “Yatri” are still popular among the current generation of music lovers and Catch 22 had to give continuity to their music. “People can still relate to our songs with their own experiences. Guess we can’t put a time stamp on longevity,” says Prallen about the band’s music. “Yatri is quintessentially a song about having a free spirit and not being bound to anyone’s love or validation. Ojhel is also still highly relatable and many youngsters do its covers.

A change in lineup which includes experienced musicians in their early 30s and 40s means a change in the band’s sound too. The band will continue with its old Catch 22 rock vibe and also experiment with ballads, jazz rock and fusion music.

How challenging will it be for a band of yesteryears to join the music industry now dominated by youngsters? “Well it’s not going to be a challenge to us because we see this as a journey and not a competition,” Prallen says. “The challenge lies within us as we have to find the right inspiration and write the right songs.”

Catch 22 is managed by the Live & Loud Pvt Ltd. The band plays its comeback show at Lord of the Drinks, Thamel on March 21.

When the Irrfan Khan-starrer “Hindi Medium” was released in mid-2017, the film shocked the Indian cinema industry. With an organic story and peanuts in production cost, the film took home over $45 million, making it one of the highest grossing movies in Bollywood. With a relatively unknown cast, the film had relied on its grounded story and skillful storytelling to highlight the importance of “English medium” education, something which the Indian (and Nepali) audiences could easily identify with and thus paid money to watch.

Unfortunately, taking up the same subject, and with Irrfan Khan retained in the lead, “Angrezi Medium” does not live up to its hype. In fact, it is way below par compared to Hindi Medium. Directed by Homi Adajania, and with its huge star cast of popular Bollywood actors that include Kareena Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Ranvir Shorey and Pankaj Tripathi, Angrezi Medium fails to connect with the audience. Plus, a host of other Bollywood actresses appear in the film’s OST “Kudi Nu Nachne De,” but the song doesn’t impress either.

Angrezi Medium is a story of a father and daughter—Champak (Irrfan) and Tarika Bansal (Radhika Madan)—who only have each other in their lives. Champak is a sweetshop owner based in Udaipur, Rajasthan, who has to constantly compete against his stepbrother Gopi Bansal (Deepak Dobriyal) over the ownership of the famous “Ghasiteram Misthan Bhandar” brand. His daughter Tarika, meanwhile, has always had a dream of visiting a foreign country, and now wants to leave for the UK for further studies.

Champak, a simpleminded, middle-class man, who loves his daughter so much that he doesn’t want her to go too far away, agrees nonetheless. Despite their enmity, the stepbrother Gopi, who is also childless because of his wife’s early demise, loves Tarika like his own daughter. He too is determined to help Champak get her admitted to “Truford University” in London. Now despite their good intent and total naivety, the Bansal brothers also seem fickle-minded and keep messing up opportunities for their daughter. Their struggle to get her to UK and then to admit her comprises the whole plot.

The film builds on an interesting premise that looks to address the elephant in the room for millions of South East Asian parents and children: English is just a language and not a signifier of a person’s intellectuality. And a degree in the West is just a degree. It doesn’t make you a better person.

But with a bigger production budget, the same production team that set up the success of its uncomplicated predecessor now experiments a lot. They hire popular actors who have driven films on their own to be supporting actors and give them screen-time to justify their presence, needlessly lengthening the movie.

Multiple characters, scenes and subplots in Angrezi Medium do not contribute to the story and could have been left out. Some sequences feel lethargically extended for lack of a rigid script and even the otherwise brilliant Khan seems a victim of all the confusion going around. The actor doesn’t seem to grasp his character and yet is forced to perform monologues and speak broken English, which doesn’t ignite the same laughter it did in the previous movie.

Who should watch it?

Angrezi Medium might have its weaknesses but a film with so many talented actors can’t be dismissed outright either. If the theaters are still open by the time you read this, please wear your masks and carry your hand sanitizer. Otherwise, wait for it on Netflix.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Genre: Drama

Run time: 2hrs 25min

Director: Homi Adajania

Cast: Irrfan Khan, Radhika Madan, Deepak Dobriyal

The song “Asar Saunko” from the early 2000s, which was played on repeat on television and radio stations at the time, defines the music of the Seasons band. Their music, according to band members, is ever-changing and ever-evolving, as the genres they blend never stay the same. Formed in 1995 by a group of young boys in Hetauda, the band was one of the most popular in the noughties, with songs that catered to all age and social groups.

The band started with playing in social events in the small town of Hetaunda in the early 90s. But as they matured as a band, they decided to make a definite contribution to the Nepali music industry. Seasons released their debut album “Khyal Khyalaima” in 2000 and followed it quickly with “Seasons” in 2001. With both the albums seeing commercial success and the band touring all over the country with their music, they released “7*3=21” in 2004. By that time, Seasons had become one of the most popular bands in the country with hits like “Suneko Kura” and “Raato Maato”.

Now, after a hiatus of almost 16 years, Seasons plans a comeback with the original line-up of Sujil Karmacharya on lead guitars and vocals, Shailendra Pradhan on keys and vocals, Chandra Lama on drums and vocals, Sanjay Shrestha on bass, and Gyanendra Pradhan on guitars and vocals—all under the management of Stereo Records.

So what is Seasons bringing to the table after such a long break, a time during which the Nepali music industry evolved extensively? Besides, many young listeners know nothing of the band’s laurels. “Our music will now focus on the society and spirituality,” says Sujil, the 40-years-old frontman. “I think we need musicians who can promote spirituality. It’s much needed.”

Sujit, a highly spiritual person himself, wants to use his experience in spiritualism to make music. “Spirituality has changed my way of life and even made me more productive,” says Sujil, who is now an ardent follower of ISCKON. Even while the band was in hibernation, Sujil had continued to do background scores for Nepali movies. In fact, Sujil is still one of the most sought after score composers in the industry. “I had a hectic life. There was so much work and it took me more than a month, working 18 hours a day, to complete a project. But now I spend much time with my kid and work just for 4 to 5 hours daily, and still complete similar projects in under a month. That’s how efficient spiritualism has made me.”

The big challenge, Sushil says, will be to get all band members to the same level of musicianship. When the band started back in the 90s there was no internet and only limited resources, the learning curve in music was high and despite their great zeal, they could only do so much. In 2020, the level of musicianship has increased several-fold. The bands that have tried to make a comeback after a long break have struggled. “Our band members are practicing more and taking music classes,” Sujil says. “But I still feel there’s a long way to go.”

That’s why the band has named their upcoming album “Seasons: The New beginning.” “It’s really a new beginning for the band and the music they want to produce,” says Ashish Parajuli, the managing director of Stereo Records. “The band members are not concerned about publicity and getting famous. But as I see much potential in their music I asked them to regroup and start making music again.”

Seasons have already released their songs “Bhanchan Narayana” and “Ko Nepali Ho” in the lead-up to their album launch, the date for which is yet to be finalized. The new songs are already creating a buzz and if things go well, the band will also start performing live in the near future.+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-----

Guitars—electric, acoustic, or semi-acoustic—look simple enough. What in them would call for regular repairs and maintenance, right? For the uninitiated, it’s really just wood with some steel and strings tied at two ends. But anyone who has ever taken up the instrument seriously can tell you about the enormous effort needed to keep them functioning well. In fact, all guitars come with this constant need for repair and servicing, which, if not done on time, could permanently damage the instrument.

This is where 32-year-old Sumit Suwal steps in. Sumit restores guitars that have been worn with time and use and he’s most likely the only full-time guitar luthier specializing in repairs in the country. No wonder his skills have gotten him a clientele ranging from amateurs to professionals from all over the country.

“This is the house I was born and brought up in,” Sumit introduces his old house in Dallu where a room has been set aside for his “SuMeet Guitar Restoration” workshop. The room’s filled with guitars, new and old, some for easy re-stringing, others for not-so-easy repairs. “I wanted the name to sound like Su-Meet, meaning a good friend,” he says, explaining the name of his workplace. “I have been helped by many friends and well-wishers in life and I want to be a good friend to everyone.”

As Sumit continues with his life story, he recalls the sad bit when, aged four, a case of meningitis caused the doctors to amputate both his legs. Although he doesn’t remember much from the time, he does recall having to stay home for a long time. Even as he grew up, his mobility was limited. “I didn’t think about it much then but now I think all that happened so that I could be at this place, doing what I am doing right now,” Sumit says.

Lack of mobility confined Sumit to his home most days and he was forced to find indoor hobbies to keep himself occupied. That’s when he cut out a guitar-like shape on plywood and strung it with rubber bands to craft a guitar for himself. His father, on seeing his 8-year-old son so interested in the instrument, got him a real guitar. Sumit then started exploring music and in time learned to sing and play guitar and keyboards, even competing in interschool music competitions and winning awards later in life.

With a guitar in hand and a circle of musicians around him, Sumit did small repairs on his friends’ guitars for pocket money. A friend got him a battered Telecaster guitar from Japan and restoring it gave much repair experience. Also, around 2008, when he had bought a Chinese copy of a guitar and took it to Deep Music at New Road to get it repaired, Deepak Tandukar, the owner and one of the pioneers of guitar repairs in the country, encouraged Sumit to try to repair it by himself. “Deepak dai inspired me a lot,” he says. “He even lent me tools and offered to help whenever he could. He even sent me repair jobs that came to him. I am very thankful to him.”

Sumit started his restoration workshop at his home in 2014 and quickly became one of the most sought after luthiers. Now some of the most famous names of the Nepali music industry visit his workshop, which is so busy at times that he has also hired an assistant to help him.

But is guitar repairs enough to earn a living? “Well, I’ve been managing to meet my wife’s demands with this,” Sumit says with a laugh. “On a serious note, I am thinking of expanding and am also giving lessons to those who want to join the profession. There’s room for more”.

In the first installment of “Baaghi” (2016), Ronnie (Tiger Shroff) took on a gang of villains to save his kidnapped girlfriend. It was one of the first films for Tiger and he impressed as a newcomer. In the second installment “Baaghi 2” (2018), Ronnie took on a bigger group of villains to save his girlfriend’s daughter who had been kidnapped. The production was larger and the audience fairly entertained. But as the count reaches three for Baaghi, the action and drama cross the level of absurdity: Ronnie is yet again forced to save a kidnapped person—this time his elder brother Vikram (Riteish Deshmukh) who has been abducted in Syria by a terrorist organization.

It would be fair to say that Baaghi 3 is a product of lack of creativity, ingenuity and effort, despite its huge production budget. Choreographer-turned-director Ahmed Khan—also the director for Baaghi 2—seemingly chose the worst possible script for this film. He’s neither able to get the best acting from the cast, nor to capitalize on Tiger’s dance skills. Tiger, in turn, has started looking monotonous with the same fight and dance routines in almost all his movies.

In Baaghi 3, two brothers—Ronnie and Vikram—grow up as orphans after their cop father (Jackie Shroff) dies on duty. On his deathbed, the father makes Ronnie, the stronger child, to take a vow that he would look after his elder brother Vikram. So Ronnie sticks like a shadow to Vikram all his life. Vikram only has to scream “Ronnie!” and lo, the muscle-man appears out of the blue.

As the clichéd story continues, Vikram becomes a police inspector and Ronnie again helps him secretly fight criminals. But one day when Vikram is sent to a mission in Syria and gets kidnapped there, Ronnie can’t answer his brother’s call. So he reaches Syria the next day with his girlfriend Sia (Shraddha Kapoor) to take on an army of armed militants lead by “Abu Jalal” (Jameel Khoury).

The story is so unoriginal the film feels like watching a montage of scenes from Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme films from the previous decades/century/millennium, and there’s also quite a bit of similarity with Liam Neeson’s “Taken” series. A weak story gives space to a weaker screenplay, which completely baffles logic and storytelling.

But why did actors like Riteish and Shraddha choose to do this film where their acting skills are undermined by bad writing and even worse direction? Both have been fairly successful in their careers and this desperation to play the most unflattering roles is definitely a surprise. Especially for Ritesh, who has been in the industry for long; his role as Viram is so unconvincing even his sex comedy stints are better. Another disappointment is Vijay Verma from the “Gully Boy” (2019) fame who plays “Akhtar Lahori”, a Pakistani conman. Vijay doesn’t fit the part and seems distracted all the time. All these are roles could have been given to debutants and the experienced actors wouldn’t have been missed at all.

Baaghi 3 is a badly written, badly executed movie that looks to bank solely on Tiger Shroff’s antics and acrobatics. But Tiger’s charms seem to be wearing. Despite his well-toned physique and action and dance sequences that he performs with diligence, there’s nothing new on offer. After so many movies playing similar characters, he is starting to get boring.

With multiplex audience of today preferring content over star factor and glamor quotient, Baaghi 3’s attempt to glorify Tiger falls flat. The filmmakers overdo action sequences and show Ronnie take on a whole army of militants, including fighter helicopters and battle tanks. The improbability is such that it sometimes seems like a comic spoof.

Who should watch it?

The only watchable factor is the movie’s cinematography. But that isn’t enough to keep you entertained for the entire length. Sit this one out in the wake of the coronavirus scare.

Rating: 1.5 star

Genre: Action

Run time: 2hrs 23min

Director: Ahmed Khan

Cast: Tiger Shroff, Shraddha Kapoor, Ritesh Deshmukh

A young girl who’s been performing in musi­cal stages since 2012 finds herself a contestant in the ‘Voice of Nepal’ reality show. There, with her power­ful vocals and thrilling stage presence, she becomes an instant hit. By the time she’s ousted, she’s gained a hug fan base and created a brand name for herself. This is the story of 25-year-old Ashra Kunwar, one of the few female singers in the country who can call them­selves rockers. Ashra, a sto­ry-teller herself, is now ready to the hit the music indus­try with her band “Ashra and the Parables,” with plans to release its debut EP “Aabash” soon.

“I used to sing with differ­ent artists before but during my time at Voice of Nepal, I realized I need to be up there on the stage with my own band. My vocals do not match singing with backing tracks,” says Ashra about the band’s formation despite her popu­larity as a solo singer. “From now on I’ll only be performing with the band wherever I’m invited.”

With Ashra in the lead vocals, Rupesh Pariyar and Suman Khatri on guitars and Asis Shyawa on drums, the band has already hit the stu­dios to record its five-song EP. “We’re also in the pre-pro­duction phase of our debut music video,” Ashra informs. “Won’t be long before we release it.”

About the music, the band draws inspiration from Ashra’s biggest influences—Amy Lee from the band Evanescence and Linda Perry from 4 Non Blondes. Ashra also confesses to be a big fan of our own Ciney Gurung. “I just love her voice and the fact that she is so humble and respectful,” she says.

The lyrics in the EP are all written by Ashra. The accom­panying music will be progres­sive rock. What will separate the band from other artists in similar genres will be its lyrical content and messag­ing. Ashra is also an envi­ronmental scientist, climate activist and a PhD scholar who has been continuously working to raise awareness against climate change and environmental deterioration. She has represented Nepal in climate conferences all over the world and wants to blend her knowledge, edu­cation and experience into music to make it a powerful awareness tool.

“Although I am a serious student in the field of environ­ment, performing has always been my passion,” Ashra says. “So finding the right balance whereby I can continue both music and my research work was a must for me.” Thus came to her the idea of merg­ing her music with current climate issues. She gives the example of the song “Bodhi Brikshya” from her upcoming EP that talks about why trees are important for the environ­ment and why deforestation needs to be curbed.

“There have in the past been songs that talk about nature and conservation but ours will also include factual findings from my research to make them more impactful,” Ashra says. The EP will be called “Aabash” for it translates to ‘presence’, and is named after her late brother

There’s a scene in the trailer of “Aama” where aama (Mithila Sharma) trudges through the busy streets of Kathmandu with a desolate, distraught look, the vermillion on her forehead being washed down by the falling rain. This moment of agony caught brilliantly on camera by the film’s cinematographer and director Dipendra K. Khanal embodies the content of “Aama”—a beautiful film about the ugly realities of life.

Also written by Khanal, Aama’s story revolves from an incident that causes a serious head injury to the father of the family, Yagya Prasad Aryal (Desh Bhakta Khanal), which in turn requires immediate surgery. His wife (Sharma) brings him to Kathmandu in an ambulance. Here, her only family is her daughter Arati (Surakshya Panta) and her husband (Manish Niraula). They admit him to a hospital where he undergoes an expensive surgery. The proceedings up to and after that make up the story of the 1hr 52min-long family drama.

Aama builds around real life stories sourced from Nepali society. Khanal—a filmmaker who has had both critical and commercial success—does a brilliant job of interweaving sub-stories within the main plot and creating a screenplay that doesn’t distract from the film’s organicness. The central figure aama could be any of the mothers we see around us—aging, frail, crushed, but still unbroken.

Although the film appears to be about mothers, it actually places daughters at the center of things. The Aryal family daughter, Arati, struggles against all odds to get her father treated, and supports her mother through testing times. She quits teaching and uses all her savings to save her father. Her husband somewhat supports her, but the childless couple already face pressure from their own families and society, and he falters at times. 

The sad part is, despite all her trials and tribulations, Arati cannot take the place of the family son. Arati’s elder brother (Arpan Thapa), who we only hear on the phone, is an illegal immigrant in the US and despite his parents longing for his return, he is unable to be of much help besides sending a small amount of money. The film shows how the society gives more importance to the son despite the daughter doing everything she is capable of. “Don’t you have a son?” is a question aama is frequently asked when people want to inquire about her social and financial security. The gender imbalance is clearly addressed and then cleverly shamed.

Khanal as the writer, director and cinematographer has made this film a tightly-knit story that is a mirror of the society. In an industry where comedy is the most successful and sought after genre, Aama’s premise builds on a mundane, real-life story but with Khanal’s storytelling skills, the film turns out to be an outstanding unadulterated work of art. The cinematography is brilliant too. Meticulousness oozes out of every shot as Khanal intelligently places his characters in their settings and situations, describing their inner conflicts onscreen. There’s a particular ‘half face’ shot used for the main characters which creates a sort of dissonance on screen, but aptly defines the characters’ conflicts.

As aama, senior actress Mithila Sharma stands tall. She’s a Nepali movie veteran and fits the role. But it’s Surakshya Panta, a relative newcomer, who steals the show with her artistic brilliance. She’s one of the few Nepali actors who could have performed this role with such naturalness. Surkahsya’s Arati is a strong, resolute, undaunted woman, but nowhere does she appear larger-than-life and that’s how she manages to have the entire audience empathize with her.

Aama is one of those rare Nepali films where even the supporting actors are methodically cast instead of hiring underperforming debutants. Along with the veteran Tika Pahari, a host of talented actors including Sarita Giri, Saroj Aryal, Aashant Sharma and Asmita Khanal, among others, make up the cast of one of the best Nepali movies of the year.

Who should watch it?

This is one Nepali film we can proudly label as a must-watch for everybody. Aama breaks norms, dismantles stereotypes and proves there are mature filmmakers and artists in the industry. It’s a story without theatrical augmentations that we call can relate to. Please go watch Aama and take everyone you love along with you.

Genre: Drama

Run time: 1hrs 52min

Director: Dipendra K. Khanal

Cast: Mithila Sharma, Surakshya Panta

Rating: 4.5 stars