Submit your Article

In the commercial vehicles seg­ment, Tata Motors is present in over 40 countries globally. Within them, Nepal is always among the first few in terms of importance, considering industry size and breadth of the portfolio that we have. Almost the entire portfolio available in India is available in Nepal too. All segments are cov­ered here.

Also, Sipradi has been a strong and dedicated partner of Tata Motors. The partnership has grown from strength to strength and on last count, I think we enjoy over 60 percent market share here. Nepal is a very important market for us.

How satisfied are you with the results here, in terms of sales, market presence and brand positioning?

First, if you see in terms of our market presence, I think we are in a good position. We are play­ing in every segment, which is satisfying. And if you look at Sip­radi’s network and presence, they have more than 129 outlets all over Nepal. Also the fact that we have a huge market share here is import­ant for us.

Personally, the most satisfying part is the relationships and bonds Sipradi’s services and Tata Motors’ products have developed with Nepali customers. We value that the most besides the huge market share. Our data suggests that in Nepal over 89 percent of the cus­tomers are highly satisfied with our products and services. We have customers who have been with Tata for all 37 years we’ve been in Nepal. We have third generations of Tata customers in Nepal. This is something that gives us immense satisfaction.

Do Nepal’s high import taxes and custom duties hamper sales of your high-end prod­ucts?

We do not normally comment on the policies of any government of any country. So long as there is a level playing field, we are okay. There are certain opportunities which come our way as a result of certain structures. And as I just mentioned, at the end of the day it is the customer who matters. So long as we can maintain that sense of value with the customers, the end result is seen in their new purchases and repeat purchases.

Apart from the taxation, what would you identify as your big­gest challenges in Nepal?

Every country has its own set of challenges. If you leave taxation out, there is always a question of how do we get closer to the cus­tomer. What does the customer really want? Understanding that on a repeat basis and also under­standing that the Nepali customer today is far more worldly wise and more exposed to international markets is a must for us.

We also have to consider the internet’s penetration in the coun­try. So the kinds of queries and questions we’d get 15/20 years ago, and what we get today, are very different. Our products and services have to be top-notch.

A new and educated generation is coming into business right now and their requirements and under­standing in terms of value creation is different. It’s a constant chal­lenge for us to process and absorb that information.

Although the “Jhilkey and the Company” band has not been in existence even for six months, it feels like it has always been a part of the undercurrent of Nepal music. Playing an unlabeled genre of hard-hitting, raw music in closed venues, JATC is one of the few torchbear­ers in Nepal of the ‘DIY ethic’ that started on the streets of London in the early 70s in the form of the anti-con­sumeristic punk culture. In Nepal, underground bands have been adopting the ‘DIY ethic’ since the late 90s and generation after generation of young musicians have given continuity to the non-com­mercial genres of music and their shows. The band, however, does not think of itself as totally punk; neither does it choose another other single genre to label itself. JATC’s music, according to band members, is certainly inspired by pro­to-punk legends like The Stooges and MC5 but not con­fined to a single genre.

It all started for JATC when Steve Dewan, the band’s founding member who takes the job of lyrics writing, singing and playing guitar, came back to Kathmandu after getting an IT degree in Bangalore.

Dewan wanted to make music only when he was back home. When he finally got here, he chose to start a band with like-minded musi­cians instead of opting for a 10-to-5 job.

Dewan’s first contact was Bishal Hang Rai—a multi-in­strumentalist who can play guitars, drums, keyboards, and ukulele but handles bass duties for the band. Dewan then got hold of his younger cousin Siddhartha Upreti, also a multi-instrumentalist, to do the job of a keyboard player and singing backing vocals. Drummer Dipson Narsingh KC, the only member with a formal music education, was roped in last, and together they formed the Jhilkey and the Company.

“We got together and started playing in the jam room and quickly gelled with each other’s style despite vast differences in individual musi­cal exposures,” says Dewan, the front-man. “We’re more rock n’ roll Rock with punk vibes.” As its name suggests, JATC is a fun band to listen to. You don’t hear them sing poetic lyrics over complex musical compositions. What you hear with JATC is simple, straightforward rock n’ roll with lyrics that are meaningful yet unpretentious.

“I’m quite a contrarian and this passes on to the band as well,” Dewan adds. “What­ever the ongoing trend is, we do the opposite.” Most of the mainstream music in Nepal is dominated by acoustic gui­tars playing similar rhythm patterns, Dewan thinks, and hence JATC will not be using acoustic guitars in its recordings or live perfor­mances. Its guitar tone is all-analog, cranky, loud and natural, something many mainstream recording artists would refrain from.

As for other sounds, JATC creates music that comes straight from the band-mem­bers’ heart. They play around with guitar riffs and drum beats, selecting the best of them for composing songs. With varied influences, the sounds do turn omnidirec­tional but the common influ­ence of rock n’ roll and punk always guides them home.

“Most of our songs are impromptu creations that talk about contemporary issues,” Dewan says, explaining how he wrote the infectiously catchy “Kathmandu Sahara” from his experience of riding around the dusty city on a scooter. Then there’s another song called “Chinese Chor” which was written following the incident when some Chi­nese stole millions of rupees from ATM machines.

For now the band is in the mixing phase of its debut EP titled “Jhilkey Fire” that will only have four songs includ­ing “Malai Kei Audaina,” Nilo Suitcase,” “Panchiharu,” and “Jhilkey Fire”. The rea­son for releasing a four-track EP instead of a full album is that the band members do not have much studio expe­rience and they want to experiment with the EP first for better future output. “We already have 10 songs ready but it will be sometime before we record them in studio,” Dewan informs. “Also, for a new band like us, budget is an issue.”

Most of JATC’s production expenses have been gener­ated through merchandise sales and DIY gigs where they sell door tickets.

A little input from the family and a month worth of Rai’s salary have also been invest­ments. As for the returns, the band feels it’s too early to calculate at the moment. For now, with its active social media accounts, the band wants to get to as many lis­teners as possible and create a mass following.

Written and directed by Sunil Gurung, “Macha Macha” was promoted as the “crime comedy of the year.” And with some witty writing, a talented cast, meticulous production and first-rate cinematography, the movie is actually a lot more enjoyable than the past few releases we’ve reviewed. There’s mystery, there’s suspense, and a whole lot of goof-ups to make it entertaining.

Macha Macha revolves around a series of unfortunate events that take the lead characters—“Pradip” (Saugat Malla), “Babu Ram” (Bijay Baral), and “Kishore” (Anoj Pandey)—on a rollercoaster ride. The trio of unemployed, impoverished and not-so-bright men are offered a murder contract by their mama (Praveen Khatiwoda). With nothing better to do to get themselves out of their sorry financial state, they take up the job to kidnap and murder “Ghanshyam” (Bhola Raj Sapkota) for Rs 2 million. Thus starts a comedy of errors as the three get into trouble one after another.

There’s definitely some smart writing to create plots that twist and turn and keep the audience entertained, to an extent. The cinematography and direction follow the characters around the streets of Kathmandu, capturing them from different angles, and making intricate details visible on the screen. The smartness in writing is backed by equally nifty filming to create a moderately entertaining package.

What drags the film down though is that the writers spend too much time creating subplots, some of which are unnecessary. Also, in an effort to capture more details, some individual scenes are rather extended, making it difficult to thoroughly enjoy the film. It would have been much better if Macha Macha was an all-out fast-paced comedy without emotional baggage.

Pandey steals the show even when matched against more experienced and popular actors. He embodies the character of a confused, scared yet amusing Kishore with artistic panache. Not only does Pandey impress in dialogues and gesticulations, he’s equally good in the background—one of the centerpieces of the movie’s comedy.

Baral lives up to his name and does nothing to better it. Malla is the disappointment here though. Carrying so much reputation from his iconic “Hakku Kaale” character in the Loot franchise, Malla does nothing to get into his character as Pradip in Macha Macha. He’s just changed his hairstyle and hasn’t worked at all in dialogue delivery to make his character any different from the recent films he has done. In order to stay relevant, Malla needs to work on his dialogues to stop sounding monotonous.

Among supporting actors, Kamal Mani Nepal is mildly engaging in his brief role as “Janga Bahadur”, a luckless gambler who’s feigning madness to save himself from creditors. Shanti Giri plays his double-crossing girlfriend and is one of the few actors that fit into their characters. Maotse Gurung continues his comic appearances playing “Tanke Dada”, a cricket-loving gangster. Although a bit stereotypical of the Sherpa community as it mocks their Nepali accent, his character is not offensive and provides hilarious comic relieve whenever he’s on screen. Known for more serious roles in Nepali films, Gurung’s back-to-back stints in comedy has been well appreciated. Namrata Shrestha (no, not that one) makes a debut as Rashmi but has so little screen space that she will have to find another film to actually make a serious debut.

The best part of the movie is the background score by Rajan Shrestha, which is sonorously satisfying. It is fresh for a Nepali movie and creatively surprising. Shrestha uses various genres of music to keep the pace of the film rolling despite the tardy bits of screenwriting dragging it down. Taking influence from the Western country music, Nepali folk, blues and jazz, Shrestha tries to give each character its own introductory theme. Sound-wise, the use of blues harp, slide guitars and the double bass lends the movie a Quentin Tarantino touch.

Who should watch it?

Macha Macha is a film worth watching if you love comedies. It gets sloppy at times but the background music and cinematography keep you entertained.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Run time: 2hrs 5 mins

Actors: Saugat Malla, Bijay Baral, Anoj Pandey

Director: Sunil Gurung

Genre: Comedy

“I’ve done everything in the movie industry except for saying action and cut [directing]. I can’t do that as I don’t have an education. There was no one to take me to school when I was a child,” says 49-year-old Singe Lama, narrating his life story full of struggles in an easy and affable manner, as if no problem can wipe the incessant smile off his face. Lama, a successful art director turned film producer who’s given hits like “Jatra” (2016), “Hari” (2018) and the recent “Jatrai Jatra”, has a fiction-like story of his own. For his close ones, his truth is painful as well as inspiring. 

Born into a small family in the Tamang settlement in Chilime, Rasuwa, Lama lost his mother when he was just three months and he has no recollection of her. He was then raised by his father who, as fate would have it, also departed when his was around 7. As an orphan, Lama had to start working from an early age for survival and quit school. “The only thing I got from school is my name,” he says, again with a bit of laughter mixed voice. “I had a different name back then which I can’t recall. My grade 2 teacher didn’t like it and changed my name to Singe. That was the year I had to quit school.”

An orphan in a rural village without roads, the only option for Lama was to work as a helper on the highway being built at a day’s walk from his village, and that was his home for a few years. He started with helping in the kitchen then gradually moved to carrying loads and as he grew up and discovered he could run fast, he took one of the most dangerous jobs around. Why? It paid him a little extra than his daily wage of Rs 25 and also earned him chicken for lunch. Lama became what he calls a “bomb blaster.” He was in charge of lighting the fuses of explosives that were fitted under huge rocks to shatter them. “It was dangerous, but the extra money and chicken were always welcome,” he says. 

Then, at the age of 15 or 16, Lama decided to come to Kathmandu to try his luck here. He remembers it was 1986 and he paid Rs 18 to buy himself a bus ride here from Trishuli. With no education, no financial backing, no family and no trade skills whatsoever, the following years were filled with trials and tribulations as he switched from one job to another, trying to settle in this strange city. “There’s nothing I didn’t do back then. From peddling small things in the streets to laboring in construction sites, from putting up the Maoist posters in the beginning of the revolution to running a canteen, I’ve done it all. I’ve seen every inch of Kathmandu,” he says proudly, now seated as the center of attraction at a posh restaurant in the same city. “Life was fun back then. I lived for the day with no worries of the future. You know, I even managed to learn karate and became a coach in Jhapa for a couple of years.” 

It was in Jhapa that Lama had his first tryst with the film industry. He worked part time as a projector operator and usher at a local theater. And when he came back to Kathmandu, an acquaintance introduced him to Nandu Adhikari, a popular art director at the time. “Nandu dai took me in as I was a skillful handyman by then and never said no to anything,” Lama says. “He taught me everything about set designing and art direction. Unfortunately, he got into an accident and died soon.”  

But this time Lama stuck to his vocation and soon he was a sought after man, designing sets for dozens of films, videos, ad shoots and TV programs. He recalls doing his first film all by himself in 1999. And not only did he design beautiful sets, he also worked in the lighting department as well as dress-designing. There was just nothing he wouldn’t do. 

In the course of working in the industry and getting to know many faces behind it, Lama grew close to Pradip Bhattarai, an assistant director for the MaHa studios. That’s when the idea of making a film got into him and Lama put together the theme of “Jatra”. With Bhattarai as the director, Lama raised enough money to finance the film with the help of three other partners. 

“I didn’t have any cash savings but I had created a name for myself by then,” says Lama. “That worked and investors supported me in cash or even kind.” Jatra was a huge success in Nepal and overseas and made double the investment. So Lama’s career as a film producer took off in 2016 and with consecutive hits, he hasn’t had to look back.

“But the pressure now begins,” Lama points out. “Most of my life I have lived carefree without much commitment. I’d earn for the day, sleep at night, and then start earning for the next day again. I had no expectations from people. But now I have an identity and know people look up to me. This feeling is entirely new.”

Lama then reveals his plans for his upcoming feature film titled “Ke Ghar, Ke Dera?” with director Subrat Acharya. The final script is almost ready and most of the cast has been roped in, he informs. “It is an organic story based in Kathmandu. I hope people like it as much as they liked our previous movies.”

Ever seen those decorative fruits they sell at the home decor section of supermarkets? The lush looking mangoes, bananas, grapes and strawberries all ripe and fresh, ready to be eaten but can’t be relished, because they’re made of plastic. Seasoned cinematographer Hari Humagain’s directorial debut “Sarauto” is like those plastic fruits—all fresh and shiny to look at, but you can’t really enjoy them.

Sarauto is basically the same revenge story that has been perpetuated since the start of filmmaking. The only difference is, it puts a female character at the helm of things. Remember watching a movie where a family is brutally attacked at night and a couple is murdered with their child as the sole witness? The child only manages to see a piece of jewelry the culprit is wearing and years later, sets out to extract revenge from the villain only to frantically search for the person wearing the jewelry first. And convincingly, our hero does find the villain, who apparently is richer and bigger but wearing the same chain?

So while most Nepali movies of late have been facsimiles of 90’s Bollywood hits (or flops), Sarauto takes us directly into the world of Hollywood Westerns, but sadly, it pushes us back to the 60s. Watched “Death Rides a Horse” (1967) and its Indian remake “Zanzeer” (1973) yet? If not, we recommend you do.

Coming back to Sarauto, the movie is based in Simraungadh, Bara and Kathmandu and in a multitude of timelines that span around a decade. Newcomer to the industry Sumi Moktan plays the main protagonist “Vaani”, the prodigal daughter of karate coach “Kushang” (Vijay Lama) who sees her parents get slaughtered and has her tongue cut off in the same incident with a sarauto (a knifelike object used to cut betel nuts.) That’s where the film gets its name.

Repetitive as the story sounds, the audience was expecting a thriller with the largely successful cinematographer Humagain taking over the reins as the director. But the film’s cinematography becomes the only saving grace of Sarauto as it fails in all other departments. The principal photography of the film is almost at par (and heavily inspired) by some South Indian action movies and despite the frequent lapse in continuity and editing glitches, is its best part.

A strong female lead was supposed to be the film’s highlight. But with Moktan’s plasticky expressions and the inability to emote her character’s voice, the speech-impaired Vaani remains voiceless. This is not to take the credit away from her homework in learning sign language and martial arts as well as dancing; it’s just that her screen presence seems forced and unnatural. Even in scenes that could have been absolute tearjerkers, Moktan is not able to make the audience empathize. The film does nothing much to empower women either. It just replaces a traditionally male hero with a female one, without giving much thought to character development.

Character development is missing not only for Moktan. Most Nepali filmmakers are prone to complicating a simple story by lacing it with too many unresolved conflicts and unanswered questions. Sarauto is no exception. It gives way too much importance to redundant characters, making the movie stray from an otherwise simple plot.

In other important roles, we have debutant Sunny Singh (not the one from Ujdaa Chaman, mind you, but our very own Nepali model-turned-actor) as “Bishesh”, Vaani’s love interest. A forgettable debut though, as Bishesh doesn’t even get a decent backstory to explain his awkward Nepali and fluent American accent.

Then there’s this guy who’s named himself “Leo Tank” playing “Jit Jung”, Vaani’s elder brother. Dear Mr Leo Tank, if we ever conducted a public poll on the worst stage names ever, you’d probably come in Top 10.

There seems to be a delusion that over-compensating for one’s weakness will not get noticed. But that’s not how it works. Besides the supporting actors trying their best to fit into the loose screenplay, we can figure out when the filmmakers got too lazy from the repetitive montages used in flashbacks, and when the filmmakers got too greedy with recurring product placement of a cooking oil.

Who should watch it?

The film is a first for many people involved in it. So if you’re that generous person who forgives newcomers and has disposable income and time, please hurry up before the multiplexes remove it entirely.

Director: Hari Humagain
Actors: Sumi Moktan, Sunny Singh, Vijay Lama
Run time: 2hrs 17mins
Genre: Action

As the date for the Silence Festival VIII approaches (December 14), the excitement level of the metal-heads and music lovers of Kathmandu is palpable. “We have sold over 600 tickets in pre-sales,” the organizers inform. “And the merchandise are also selling like hot cakes. This year is going to be the biggest of them all.”

Founded by the Nepali metal giants Underside in 2011, the only annual metal festival in the country aims to turn Nepal into a destination for international bands. In just a few years, it has grown into a big day-long festival visited by over 4,000 metal-heads. More than that, it has already hosted international legends such as Behemoth, Vader, Textures and SikTh, making Silence Festival easily the biggest and loudest metal fiesta in Nepal.

We featured all the international acts playing at the Silence Festival a couple of weeks ago, only to be requested by hordes of music followers to write something about their favorite participating Nepali bands as well. So here we go.

Underside

Nepali disruptors Underside are the epitome of the burgeoning Asian metal scene. Following the decade-long civil war, these Himalayan metal heavyweights came together in 2010 as a loud and robust response to the country’s delicate socio-political situation. The four-piece band are one of the biggest and best metal bands Nepal has ever seen. They have taken their riotous metal music to venues across Europe and Australia and next year plan to conquer the US.

Even though the metal scene in Nepal is in its infancy, Underside are unafraid to take risks, be it with their lyrics or the extremity of their music. The rebellious attitude of all four men (Nishant Hagjer on drums, Bikrant Shrestha on guitars, Avishek K.C. on vocals and Bikash Bhujel on guitars), combined with exceptional guitar shredding skills and blood-curdling screams—all fused with an unmistakably Nepali sound—Underside have carved out something extreme and wholly their own.

In 2019, Underside have been relentless. Fresh off a UK tour with CancerBats, the band were invited to join them on their European tour in March. At Download Festival 2019, the band delivered a standout performance by incorporating traditional Nepali dance routines steeped in history.

Shree 3

Based in Kathmandu, Shree 3 is the brainchild of Sarad Shrestha, a popular figure in Nepali music industry. Founded in 2016, the band came to life as a side project of three proficient musicians already playing for other bands. Shrestha (Tumbleweed) on guitars and vocals, Rozet Gurung (Jugaa, Nude Terror) on bass and Robin Neupane (Tumbleweed, H.O.S.) on drums complete the lineup of Shree 3, a power trio.

As for their music, although band members do not prefer to label themselves with a single genre, at its heart Shree 3 is an alternative rock band that also explores stoner rock, desert rock and grunge. With Sarad’s overdriven guitars and unique finger-style playing and raw vocals reminiscent of the alternative greats of the 90s, Rozet’s groovy basslines, and Robin’s steady drum beats, the band is a complete package of skilled musicianship and scintillating energy.

Shree 3 released their debut album in May this year and has toured the country, finding fans in cities from the east to west.

Strangle

Strangle is a hardcore band from Lalitpur that initially started as a trash band. In 2012 they recorded their first seven-track demo with a new lineup, when the focus shifted to playing more Hardcore and Crossover Thrash. After live shows in Nepal for a couple of years the band went into a hiatus in 2014.

In 2016 they came back with a new lineup and by March 2017 had recorded their first full-length album “You’re next in line.” Since 2016, Strangle have been very active and have played shows in different cities of Nepal. In 2018 the band recorded an EP titled “The Illusion” and are soon coming up with their second full-length album.

Born In Silence

A band with nu-metal origins, “Born In Silence” was formed in 2011 when the Pokhara underground scene had already started to fade. After multiple line-up changes, which resulted in different creative inputs and musical influences from each passing member, the band’s sound has evolved to what its members now call “a fusion between different sub-genres of metal.” The current band members, aged 24-28, are some of the few active musicians in the ‘Pokhara Underground.’

The founding members of Born In Silence are Pradip Gurung (Guddu) on vocals, and Sujan Thapa and Nikhil Gurung on guitars. Since 2016 they have been joined by Bishal Pertel on drums and Ashim Gurung on bass. The band that started by covering music of international artists now have their own set-list and as they grow in confidence that comes with experience, they have also experimented with DIY face masks to give members different on-stage personas.

Binaash

Binaash is a “Ramailo Death Metal” band from Kathmandu, formed in 2009 by a trio of musicians interested in death metal. A few line-up changes saw the founding member Prateek Raj Neupane joined by Prabin Shrestha (Arachnids) on growls and grunts, Bijent Bikram Shah on bass, Shashank Shrestha (72Hrs) on guitars, and the powerhouse Bikram Shrestha (Ugrakarma/Xmantra) on drums.

Formerly “Kaal,” the name was later changed as many Nepali bands were playing under the same name. The band has a full length album, an EP, a 4-way split, and single under its belt.

The premise that “Cha Cha Hui” tries to build on is interesting. The film is close to the genre of ‘mindless comedy’, which has multiple characters circling their way in and out of conflicting situations, while making viewers laugh at their antics. Just like the famous Indian director Priyadarshan’s classic movies (Hera Pheri, Hungama, Hulchul), Cha Cha Hui sets the stage for an iconic Nepali comedy, but things get awry somewhere. (We’ll come to that.)

In Cha Cha Hui, Prem (Aryan Sigdel) and Bhola (Bholaraj Sapkota) are inseparable friends living in Hong Kong who come across Shyamlal (Maotse Gurung) in a chance meeting. Shyamlal encourages them to return to their homeland. Shyamlal also hands them a book of poems as a parting gift. Now this is where the troubles begin. A book is definitely not to be judged by its cover—and our protagonists find that a little too late.

Cha Cha Hui then takes the audience on a journey from Hong Kong to Kathmandu to Pokhara and then to Mustang, all the while hiding the truth about the book from them as well as from Bhola and Prem. Of course, Prem has to find a love interest in between as we can’t have a comedy movie without romance and here newcomer Miruna Magar fills the shoes as “Sangeeta,” a local from Marpha, Mustang whose family runs a homestay business.

The movie’s trailer released on YouTube back in October revealed what the film is all about. But, again, you can’t judge a book by its cover, and you certainly cannot judge a movie by its trailer. The three-minute trailer promises a fast-paced laugh riot, but the 2hr 5min film is definitely not as entertaining.

What fails it are mainly its screenplay and direction. Despite being a ‘mindless comedy’, the film’s screenplay is so loose it can’t hold the story together. To make matters worse, it unfolds so slowly that it is almost boring. In fact, Director Samten Bhutia fails to get together one convincing sequence to make “Cha Cha Hui” an enjoyable watch.

Bhutia’s other failure is his inability to get a decent cast. Lead actor Sigdel might be an established star, but his acting skills are still juvenile, even after so many years. This shows when he tries his hand at comedy. Despite his attempts to appear energetic and youthful, Sigdel looks like his former self—stoic, wooden and out of place. Sapkota and Gurung—both brilliant actors—try and compensate for Sigdel’s weakness but there’s only so much they can do with a script as awful as the movie’s “Silky Silky Baal” song.

The supporting cast is an ensemble of new faces who’re are clueless about their real roles. Most of the supporting cast looks like actors who had been waiting for a break, and when their chance finally came, ended up overdoing every scene: they are thus loud, unconvincing and sloppy.

The same can’t be said of Magar, probably the only actor in the film who fits her character like a glove. Magar lights up the screen every time she pops up and to see the newcomer portray the young Thakali girl with freshness and simplicity is satisfying.

Finally, what the movie lacks in screenplay and acting, it makes up in deft camerawork and cinematography. Cinematographer Sushan Prajapati has ensured that the audience don’t blink their eye every time the beauty of the Mustang region is captured. He places the characters on best spots and captures them from beautiful angles. Even regular scenes and spots are captured with much thought to give audience the best possible viewpoints.

Who should watch it?

If not for the average screenplay and sub-par performance, one can definitely watch the movie for its excellent cinematography and, yes, some fitting background music. We are also sure Miruna Magar’s fans (and there are plenty of them for sure) will love to see her on this one.

Rating: 2
Actors: Aryan Sigdel, Bholaraj Sapkota, Maotse Gurung
Director: Samten Bhutia
Run time: 2hr 5mins
Genre: Comedy
 

“Marjaavaan” has all it takes to make a blockbuster—a bicep-flexing ‘hero’, his loyal-to-death friends, a petite ‘heroine’, a couple of items numbers, a formidable villain, unrealistic action sequences, and a heavily dramatized climax. This could have brought in flocks of audiences to the cinema if it were the 90s—but it’s not. In the year 2019, when both Indian cinema and the audience have matured enough to celebrate realistic stories and lifelike protagonists, a larger-than-life hero who can pull water tankers with his arms and punch through motorcycle helmets is not welcome—if he’s not Bajirao Singham, Rowdy Rathore, or Chulbul Pandey.

Directed by Milap Zaveri, Marjaavaan is literally a 90s movie, probably written for Sunil Shetty or Sunny Deol, but made in 2019 with Sidharth Malhotra performing the heroic duties as “Raghu”—a gangster with a good heart. Now how many gangsters with good heart stories have we seen? Countless, right? “Marjaavaan” is just one of them, with nothing new in the storyline. Even most songs in the movies are remixes of 90s’ hits. A film can’t be as unoriginal as this.

Now Malhotra, who has played plenty of boy-next-door characters in the past and is still struggling to make a mark in Bollywood, tries to pull off the “angry young man” character in this one but fails miserably. A 90s hero has to have a damsel in distress and this we get in the form of Tara Sutaria who plays “Zoya”, a ‘mute’ music teacher who falls for Raghu at first sight and sets out to reform him. The clichéd repertoire is then complete with Raghu’s arch-nemesis “Vishnu” (Riteish Deshmukh), the dwarf son of Raghu’s boss who is jealous of his father’s fondness for Raghu. And the clichés continue.

As the movie progresses with a lazy screenplay and even worse acting, the audience is nothing but dumfounded at the lack of creativity in this big banner (T-Series) film.

Story-wise, Marjaavaan has an uncanny resemblance to Sanjay Dutt starrer “Aandolan” (1994). In fact, a few scenes and side stories could be directly out of the classic.

What hurts more than the repetitive storyline is the acting of the lead stars. Malhotra, who sure grew up watching actions stars like Ajay Devgan and Akshay Kumar can’t seem to emulate them. Only flexing the biceps and giving cold stares doesn’t make the audience believe you can take out a dozen goons at once. You need to have that ferocity built into your character.

As for his co-star Sutaria, she’s the weakest link in the movie. Zoya is mute but can hear and expresses herself with sign language. It is evidently clear that Sutaria came ill-prepared to the sets to play Zoya. We can only watch in despair while she struggles to mime through sign languages with zero conviction.

The most disappointing performance in the movie comes from Deshmukh though. Mostly seen in slapstick rom-coms and adult comedies, Deshmukh loses all credibility as a serious actor he won from his performance in “Ek Villain” (2015). Playing a dwarf gang-leader, Deshmukh had the opportunity to carve out a memorable character as Vishnu, but he seems confused on whether to look sinister or funny for the part. Deshmukh’s Vishnu lacks the villainous disposition and ends up looking like just another supporting character.

Overall, despite a big banner name and experienced hands, Marjaavaan is a mistake for everyone involved. It in fact seems like a spoof of 90s Bollywood, but, unfortunately, the filmmakers were making a serious film. There’s no entertainment factor, zero comic relief, and overburdened dialogues without any memorable punchlines—a flop show all the way.

Who should watch it?

This is one film we don’t recommend to anyone. We suggest you skip it even when it is eventually released on Youtube.

Actors:
Sidharth Malhotra
Riteish Deshmukh
Tara Sutaria
Director: Milap Zaveri
Genre: Action/Drama
Run time: 2hr 15mins