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 Bipin Karki is a good actor, no doubt. The roles he picks remind this reviewer of Nawazuddin Siddique, that versatile Bollywood actor who nails nearly everything he does. Yet there is also a definite difference between the two. Siddique is so good because everything he does feels effortless, as if there is no difference between the actor and the persona he portrays. But rather than relying on his natural talent to impress the audience, Karki sometimes pushes it too far. This is amply manifest in ‘Jatrai Jatra’, the sequel to the highly-successful 2016 heist comedy ‘Jatra’. For some reason, in the second edition, Director Pradeep Bhattarai saw it fit to make Karki’s character of Phadindra Timilsina repeatedly cry. Not just cry. He cries and drools and spits and speaks, all at the same time. The spittle-flecked scenes are obnoxious, made worse because you can barely make out what Timilsina, with his weird accent, is saying. It is sad that when you come out of the theater this is what you remember, rather than Timilsina’s otherwise great acting, amply supported by his two partners-in-crime —Jayas (Rabindra Singh Baniya) and Munna (Rabindra Jha)—in what is a twisted gold heist.

The movie starts with the release of these three ‘criminals’ jailed for stealing Rs 3 million. They have no intent of going back to a life of crime after their release. But as luck would have it, Timilsina, a taxi driver, in another freak incidence, finds himself in possession of 10kg of gold. The plot revolves around how the three try to safeguard their chance wealth and how the real owners of the gold, a gang of hardened criminals, is intent on getting it back. Oh, and in this gang is Don (Dayahang Rai), who belts out another low-key but masterful performance.

Barsha Raut in her role as Timilsina’s estranged wife is effective too, even if she can be a little hard to understand: at one point she is a moralizing wife trying to convince her husband not to take the ‘wrong path’ again, in the other she is an active partner in the gold heist.

Packed with such good actors, some situational comedy scenes are hilarious. But overall, the film disappoints: it is too loud, and trite, and emotional in all the wrong places. Someone who has recently watched Hari Bansha Acharya-starrer ‘Dal Bhat Tarkari’ and was put off by Acharya’s puerile acting and Niruta Singh’s constant shouting will find similar jarring echoes in ‘Jatrai Jatra’. And there is far too much grime and shit and dirty toilets on display, which, again, are a big put-off for the audiences savoring their popcorn and nachos.

Not that it is a bad movie. There is suspense, drama, comedy, some nice dance numbers too. Yet given the anticipation it had generated, Jatrai Jatra disappoints. If you have nothing better to do in the weekend, you may still want to watch it. But keep your expectations low.

Who should watch it?

Die-hard Bipin Adhikari and Dayahang Rai fans should have enough to keep them hooked for 2h17m of runtime. If you have the stomach to ignore all the (literal) filth on display, the other bits of the package are—how do we put it?—digestible.

Movie: Jatrai jatra

Genre:  Heist Comedy

Cast: Bipin Karki, Dayahang Rai, Rabindra Singh Baniya, Rabindra Jha, Barsha Rau, Rajaram Poudel

Direction: Pradeep Bhattarai

Rating: 3.5/5

 “The crazy quilt of a writer’s life: warm enough, though it never quite covers the toes,” writes Andrew Sean Greer in his latest novel ‘Less’ that won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2018. And it is a writer’s fascinating and often filled-with-self-doubt life that Greer shows us in ‘Less’ through Arthur Less. We are told that Pulitzer is pronounced “Pull-it-sir” not “Pew-lit-sir” and that the protagonist, Arthur Less, will never win a Pull-it-sir Prize. For Arthur, who is about to turn 50 and thinks he is possibly the “only gay man to have ever grown old,” this makes him consider himself “mediocre”. His first book was a moderate success but publishers have rejected his latest work. To make matters worse, Freddy, his younger ex-boyfriend, is getting married and Less doesn’t have an excuse not to attend the wedding. So he runs away, hopping from one literary event to another; events to which he had been invited to, but once had no plans of attending.

As Arthur travels the world, from New York, Paris and Berlin to Morocco, India and Kyoto, in a style reminiscent of Elizabeth Gilbert’s ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, you see him deal with a lot of emotional baggage and he is also forever getting pulled into his past as random events force Arthur to reminisce on life. Apart from the memories, there are also a lot of mishaps and misunderstandings that make Arthur’s life far less “mediocre” than he believes it to be.

With ‘Less’, you go on a journey around the world while rediscovering what it means to love and be loved

The travelogue bit of the narrative that runs parallel to Less’s reflections on love and relationships make for compelling storytelling. During the various stages of Arthur’s soul-searching journey we also get to meet fascinating new characters. It’s all neatly tied together by a narrator who we know is someone in Arthur’s life but whose identity Greer has you guessing until the very end. With ‘Less’, you go on a journey around the world while rediscovering what it means to love and be loved.

‘Less’ isn’t laugh-out-loud funny but it’s one of the wittiest and smartest novels you will ever read. That we guarantee. Arthur, in his self-deprecating and insecure ways, is a charming character. Greer is a fine writer, a master of words, who is able to keep it fun and poignant at the same time. In an interview, Greer said he had written a book he wanted to, and by doing so has given us a book we have always wanted to read.

Book: Less

Genre: Fiction

Author: Andrew Sean Greer

Published: 2018

Publisher: Le Boudreaux Books

Language: English

Pages: 261, Paperback

 A team of climbers from Nepal, India and China are sched­uled to surmount Mount Everest this climbing season. Their goal will be to plant at the summit the official flag of the ‘Visit Nepal 2020’. The venture is intended to publicize Nepal as a tourism des­tination and entice more tourists from India and China, says industri­alist Suraj Vaidya, the coordinator of Visit Nepal 2020 national campaign. The tri-national team will include Kanchimaya Tamang from Nepal, Kalpana Das from India and Liyamu Ma from China. The campaign for Visit Nepal 2020 officially started on April 14 and the committee under Vaidya has stepped up its marketing and promotion efforts. Working from its office at the old Education Min­istry in Keshar Mahal, the commit­tee will focus on infrastructure and long-term tourism development, Vaidya informs.

Also, targeting the Visit Nepal Year, Nepal is going to sign an aviation agreement with Viet­nam, after which the Gautam Buddha International Airport in Lumbini will be able to receive direct flights from the South East Asian country. The aim is to bring more Buddhist tourists from Vietnam. Efforts are underway to arrange for flights from other countries to fly to the Gautam Buddha Airport as well.

The committee is tying up with Lonely Planet to promote Nepal as a tourist destination

The repair and upgrade of the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu has been hastened too. Besides, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal is spending Rs 23 million to upgrade and manage both its termi­nals. CAAN intends to add facilities for the passengers at both arrival and departures, while also adoring the terminals with decorations bearing historic and cultural representations of Nepal.

Tourism investment summit

A tourism investment summit is also on the cards for November 2019, according to Vaidya. In this summit, the organizers will call for invest­ments in the tourism sector. “We will coordinate with all the seven prov­inces to explore the possibility of investments in each province and to develop their tourist destinations,” Vaidya adds.

The committee is tying up with Lonely Planet to promote Nepal as a tourism destination and brand ambassadors for the NTY 2020 have been appointed from differ­ent parts of the world. American body builder Roelly Winklaar, Jap­anese literature Mariko Hayashi, Hong Kong Chef Association founder president Heinz Egli, popular French photographer Eric Vali and climber and activist Johan Ernst Nil­son have been endorsed as brand ambassadors.

Prabal Gurung, one of the most popular fashion designers in the world, has also agreed to hold an international fashion show in Nepal targeting the Visit Nepal 2020.

The Belgian Waffle Co. Nepal 

This international company that has 300 branches worldwide entered Nepal market just a year back. But because of the rich taste of their waffles and affordable price range (Rs 190 to Rs 390), they have already made a name here. Not only do they serve their waffles in Thamel and Durbar Marg in Kathmandu, they also have an outlet in Lakeside, Pokhara. If you want waffles served at your event they will send their catering team, so that you get freshly baked, hot and crispy waffles. If you visit one of their outlets, we recommend you try their signature waffle Rocky Road, which is also their most-loaded waffle with an ice-cream base.

Waffle Love 18

If you are around Basantapur and want a quick bite, go to this place to also satisfy your sweet cravings. Try their King Croffle, Sinful Temptations, Sweetest Revenge or Kitty Katti Crunch which they say taste the best. You can get waffles here for just Rs 200 to Rs 300. Along with a great ambience in the crowded street of Basantapur, you will have friendly staff welcoming you. They also offer wide range of beverages to go with your waffle.

Mike’s Breakfast

This American restaurant in Lazimpat (next to Shankar Hotel) also serves fluffy waffles. The Healthy Waffle here is Rs 425 and served with seasonal fruits and yoghurt on the side. If you are health-conscious and want to have healthy waffles, you might want to try this one. As the name of the place suggests, go for some breakfast there for a good start to your day. The greenery and freshness of this place is sure to energize you.

Chicken Station

Yes, they also serve yummy ‘Great Belgian Waffles’. You can get a variety of mouth-watering waffles for Rs 130 to Rs 320. To cater to the growing demand for waffles, they now serve waffles from their Jhamsikhel, Thamel, Whitehouse, Shankhamul and Chakrapath outlets. If you visit these outlets by May 22, you get a free Belgian waffle for every Hot Wings you buy. So hurry!

World of Waffles

World of Waffles is a quick-service restaurant known among waffle lovers in Nepal and they claim to be the first ones to introduce waffles in Nepal. This dessert outlet has presence in City Center and Labim Mall in Kathmandu, Central Mall in Biratnagar and Mahendrapul in Pokhara. Price here starts from Rs 120, and varies according to the toppings of your choice (They have plenty!). You must try Nutella Nudge when you visit, which is also their best-selling waffle.

Coco Waffle Café

This cozy dessert shop in Bansbari looks straight out of an Instagram feed. The restaurant not only specializes on waffles, they also serve delicious bakery items. Especially their chocolate cupcakes will keep you coming back. Here, you can get waffles, which range from sweet to savory, for Rs 210 to Rs 340. They recommend their Roast Banana waffle with a scoop of ice cream. Give it a shot.

Ever watched a movie and felt like you’ve figured out the whole story from the very first scene? That’s ‘Student of the Year 2’. A repetitive formula of the ‘rich vs poor’, ‘good vs evil’ drama that has been frequently used in Bollywood for almost a century now. So SOTY2 is a teenage drama with an attempted coming of age story, puppyish love angles, little comic relief, and a few so-so action sequences. A typical Bollywood masala, but without the main ingredients of a moving story: captivating screenplay and convincing acting.

Tiger does all the things a Bollywood director would want him to: flex 8-pack abs, dance, fight, play kabaddi and even parkour

The movie revolves around the ‘prestigious’ Dignity Cup and the Student of the Year title which is hosted by St Teresa’s College, one of the biggest and poshest colleges in Dehradun. Now our lower-middle class hero Rohan (Tiger Shroff) dreams of leaving his lower-middle class Pishorilal Chamandas College, Mussoorie to… not win the cup actually, but be together with his sweetheart Mridula aka Mia (Tara Sutaria). He does manage to get into the college on a sports scholarship for his kabaddi prowess, but all is not well for our poor hero. He has to face two formidable foes in the form of spoilt, rich brats Shreya (Ananya Pandey) and Manav (Aditya Seal) who’re basically the most powerful siblings in the college because their dad is a trustee there. Sigh!

The original Student of the Year (2012) launched the careers of Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Siddartha Malhotra. All the starlets from the highly successful movie managed to impress both the audience and the critics, and get more work as a result. Alas, the same cannot be said for this time’s debutants Tara and starlet Ananya (Chunky Pandey’s daughter). They falter in dialogue delivery and expressing emotions. Their dancing is just heavily choreographed mechanical movements. Not their fault. They’re made to dance next to the hunky Tiger, who shines, for the sheer lack of competition. The girls have a very forgettable debut in SOTY2 and they should definitely work on honing their skills while they’re young if they do not want to end up playing second (or third or fourth) fiddle in B-grade rom-com ensembles.

Tiger, on the other hand, does all the things a Bollywood director, Punit Malhotra in this case, would want him to do. He flexes his 8-pack abs, dances, fights, plays kabaddi like a kung fu master and even parkours. But the one thing he, despite of his talents, fails in is romance. Not entirely his fault again. Looks like Bollywood has forgotten to make young people romantic since Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Low-key actor Aditya Seal, playing the stereotypical college jock Manav, almost outshines Tiger at some points. He does justice to his character of a wealthy and arrogant but skilled college idol with his stony countenance and resolute acting.

Rohan’s friends from Pishorilal also manage to add humor and the best thing about the movie is that it maintains a healthy pace throughout, not slowing down to boring sequences.

Who should watch it?

It may lack originality but the movie is not altogether boring for a Bollywood masala fan. You can at least watch it for the overgenerous production. Even poor people cut three-layer cakes in Dharma movies, so you can definitely watch SOTY2 for the larger-than-life characterizations and enjoy it as one big fashion show.

Movie: Student of the Year 2

Genre:  Drama

Cast: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal

Direction: Punit Malhotra

Rating: 2/5

 Former Prime Minister and Coordinator of Naya Shakti Nepal Baburam Bhattarai was recently canvassing the country’s length and breadth. What he saw and heard during this extended tour must have depressed him. Basically, he espied no prospect of a revival of his beleaguered party, which has just a single seat in the federal lower house. Many see Bhattarai as an opportunist who waged a bloody insurgency that took the lives of around 17,000 Nepalis. But as soon as it served his purpose, he ditched the ideology. Others think of him as cold and calculated, and someone missing the common touch.

In the former Maoist party, Bhattarai’s reputation was as an intellectual capable of coming up with the best of ideas and yet someone incapable of building an organization. His tendency to project an intellectual air does not sit well with common folks; many like his ideas but they struggle to trust him. This sad realization must have hit home on his recent cross-country trek. Hence his decision to merge his party with the Upen­dra Yadav-led Federal Socialist Forum Nepal.

Bhattarai realizes Yadav is the front and center of the new party and he will be playing second fiddle. The new socialist outfit, by fusing the energies of eth­nic hill leaders and identity-conscious Madhesi ones, hopes to start a new trend in Madhes-Pahad unity. A wonderful idea, but also an unrealistic one. Big parties like the (former) CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress have always had strong organizations in both Pahad and Madhes. If these forces could not unite the coun­try, there is little hope that the new socialist party with some extremely polarizing politicians in its ranks will fare any better. But Yadav has nothing to lose.

He already has a rock-solid base in Madhes; the new party’s ability to make inroads into the hills would be a bonus. In contrast, Naya Shakti’s hold on both Madhes and Pahad is tenuous. It was a spent force. Bhattarai has never been short of ambition and yet he finds him­self in a political wilderness. The new socialist outfit is an unlikely vehicle with which to revive his political career. In a sign of things to come, his erstwhile Naya Shakti colleagues are furious at the new merger that happened without their knowledge, and one which has made them ‘junior members’ in the new party. The road ahead is long and arduous for BRB.  

Dal bhat tarkari is the staple food for Nepalis. A Nepali home, wherever it is, can and will serve you a meal of dal bhat tarkari and whoever prepares it, will seldom get it wrong. Naming their movie “Dal Bhat Tarkari”, the filmmakers of this supposed comedy do appeal to the ‘Nepalipan’ of the audience. But like a lone highway eatery in the middle of nowhere, their dal bhat tarkari is stale. Imagine being invited to a dinner with the promise of the best tasting meal ever and then being served hastily prepared, under­cooked, unhygienic and tasteless food. That’s what the makers of this movie do: invite you to the cinema halls for a hilarious Nepali comedy movie and then fail to make you laugh, at all.

The plot (if we can call it that) revolves around the family of Ram Hari (Hari Bamsha Acharya), Urmila (Niruta Singh), Rahul (Pushpa Khad­ka), and Rahul’s love interest, Pinky (Aanchal Sharma)—all of whom des­perately want to go to the US, like many other Nepalis who think set­tling abroad is an end to all of their problems. They are then duped by the stereotypical anti-hero in Swami Gaayak (Shishir Bangdel), a singer turned saint who now is in the busi­ness of sending people abroad as ‘performing artists’. Clichéd right? Just expect to see a hundred more in the 125 minutes of this ‘dark com­edy’ disaster.

The relation between Ram Hari and Urmila is too tricky to compre­hend. One moment they’re fighting like cats and dogs (they mention that in the movie too), and the next they’re a perfect happy couple, as soon as they see a slight possibility of getting a US visa. Their “love-hate” relation and banters are repetitive and tacky and soon wears you out. Singh’s over-the-top dramatization of every scene and overpitched dia­logue delivery is especially pathetic. At times, it feels like she is literally trying to scream to the audience that she is making a comeback to the Nepali film industry. (But she’s not the lone culprit. The whole cast is extremely loud—like really, real­ly, painfully loud.) Shocking how the graceful beauty that impressed everyone as Smriti in the blockbust­er Darpan Chaya (2001) is not even 10 percent of her former self.

Director Sudan KC (son of veteran actor Kiran KC who also stars in the film and is a producer too) fails to mold the storyline into a believable plot and miserably fails to estab­lish any kind of credible relation between any of the characters. A star cast of some of the most sig­nificant names in Kollywood, along with rising newcomers, are all run­ning around the loose screenplay in a chaotic frenzy. What adds to the woes is the under-average cinema­tography, severe jerks in editing and a nonchalant approach to moving the film forward.

Who should watch it?

If you’re a big MaHa fan and can bear loud slapstick comedy sequences, you can definitely risk your eardrums. Also go if you’re inspired by the preachy Nepali filmmakers who urge you to watch and support Nepali films, even though what they produce is absolute crap.

Movie: Dal Bhaat Tarkari 

Genre: Comedy

Cast: Hari Bamsha Acharya, Niruta Singh, Aanchal Sharma

Direction: Sudan KC

Rating: 1/5

 Adèle is a wonderful book. But calling it wonderful feels a little worrisome because the prem­ise is as disturbing as it gets. Adèle Robinson, the titular character, is addicted to sex—loveless sex with just about any man who isn’t her husband. Her husband, on the other hand, is a devoted family man who doesn’t care much about sex. When Adèle conceives on their first try, “he was relieved that he didn’t have to wear out the body of the woman he loved by ‘trying’ over and over again.” So she picks up men in bars and bistros and hospital elevators and uses her best friend as alibi for the escapades.

On surface, 35-year-old Adèle seems to have it all. She is married to a handsome surgeon, is a suc­cessful journalist, and has a son she adores. And it’s not that Adèle enjoys cheating on her husband. She just can’t help it. Violent sexual release is what Adèle seeks for reasons even she doesn’t fully understand—perhaps to escape the monotony that comes from comfort because of her family’s money that “smells of work, of sweat and long nights spent at the hospital”.

Adèle is a difficult character to like. She is lazy and shallow, and seems to have little to no passion for anything in life except, of course, sex

Translated into English following the success of Lullaby, a story about a nanny who kills her young charges, Adèle was actually French-Moroccan author Leila Slimani’s first published novel. In various interviews, Slimani has said she writes about topics that fascinate her and by doing so she also wants to explore characters she doesn’t understand. Adèle is a story about women, what’s expected of them, and how their desires are often suppressed by it.

But Adèle is a difficult character to like. She is lazy and shallow, and seems to have little to no passion for anything in life except, of course, sex. It’s the crisp narration that keeps you hooked to this slim novel. The writing is sparse and Slimani only tells you what you absolutely need to know. She gives you a bit of a backstory, about teenage Adèle see­ing prostitutes that made her curious about sex, but there are no elaborate descriptions and details. Also, there is no moralizing from the author either. She doesn’t tell you how to feel or what to think about her nym­phomaniac character. Some readers will applaud Adèle while some will be appalled by her. But, either way, we will all think about her for a long time to come.

Book: ADÈLE

Genre: Fiction

Author: Leila Slimani

Translated into Englishby Sam Taylor

Publisher: Penguin Books

Published: January 15, 2019

Pages: 240, Paperback