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Singers, musicians, artists, businesspersons, socialites and people from all walks of life gathered at the Oskar Bar & Grill, Panipokhari on May 18, to be a part of one of the most unique videos of an evergreen Nepali song.

 The music video of Narayan Gopal’s “Kehi Mitho Baat Gara” was shot amid active participation of the invitees at the event organized by Digipay—a soon to be launched digital wallet—and hosted by Oskar Bar & Grill. The participants interacted with each other and lip-synced to the iconic song to record the one-of-its-kind music video.

“The idea was to bring people together and celebrate the music of Narayan Gopal,” Diwakar Pandey, the managing director of Digipay told APEX. “We’re especially thankful to Music Nepal, who hold the copyright of this song, for making it possible. This is the first time they’re sharing the rights of the music they own with a third party.”

The music video will be launched in less than a month, Pandey informs, together with the official launch of the Digipay app.

 Remember the time CD/DVD parlors and cassette rental outlets used to be flooded with youths thronging to rent Hindi and English movies? Bollywood stars like Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi, Govinda, Mithun Chakroborty and Rajnikanth were household names back then. Yet there were few if any followers of South Indian cinema.

 But with time the South Indian fare is gradually gaining in popularity in Nepal, so much so that they may have slightly reduced the trend of exclusively watching Bollywood flicks. We found many urban and suburban youths hooked to South Indian cinema. Want instant proof? Just check the trending list on YouTube and you’ll find at least one, if not many, South India movies in the ‘Top 10’.

  In Nepal, South Indian cinemas have gained in viewership largely thanks to popular YouTube channels like Goldmines and Aditya Movies. Although we couldn’t find the exact timeline for when the South Indian movies emerged as a movie culture in Nepal, most viewers we talked to believe the big budget Telugu fantasy film “Magadheera” (2010) spelled the start.

 South Indian cinema seems to offer Nepali audiences unique contents, action scenes, and plots, along with a good dose of comedy by veteran comedian Bramhanandam, without whose cameo a South India film feels incomplete.

“I recall a time six or seven years ago when people started asking for the DVDs of South Indian movies, alongside Korean dramas that were popular at the time,” says Kedar Maharjan, 40, a DVD retailer at Lagankhel.

 Countless Nepalis have become fans of popular South Indian actors such as Allu Arjun, Dhanush, Ravi Teja, Ram Charan, Mahesh Babu, Jr. NTR, Prabhas, Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Akkineni, and Anushka Shetty.

 Atit Chaurel, 17, a BBA student at Caspian Valley College, was recently busy chatting with his friends about Allu Arjun’s latest movie “Naa Peru Surya” in a microbus. “I love Allu Arjun’s movies as they have excellent characterization, smooth storyline and good dance steps compared to more monotonous Bollywood films,” says Chaurel.

 Popular Nepali director Milan Chams also thinks South Indian movies are successful because of their original storylines, characterization, acting and dynamic comedy and unique dance styles. “They offer something different to typical Bollywood and Kollywood fares,” he says.

 Says Nisha Chapagain, a student at the women-only PK campus: “South Indian movies have taught me a lot about love, friendship and family.”

 Robin Neupane, 21, a student from Kapan, says: “After watching ‘Arya’ and other south movies, I have learned humorous and fun ways to propose and confess my love to my crush. I have even styled my hair to match that of Allu Arjun in ‘Naa Peru Surya’.”

 Popular Nepali dance troupe ‘The Cartoonz Crew’ have acknowledged the brilliant prowess and choreography of dancers in South Indian cinema. Sangita Adhikari, a student at United Academy, says she has learned many interesting dance steps from South Indian actresses like Sai Pallavi, Kiara Advani and Kajal Aggarwal.

 Nepali distributors seem enamored of South Indian films as well. Films like “KGF,” “Naa Peru Surya,” and “Bahubali-2” were instant hits among the Nepali theater going audiences. Niraj Poudel, managing director of film distributors Gopi Krishna Movies, mentions how the Bahubali series in 2015 and 2017 and then KGF in 2018 were a rage in the theaters too. “For Bahubali-2, we invested around Rs 50 million on distribution rights across Nepal and were able to recoup Rs 70 million in earnings,” says Poudel.

 In this digital age, the success of a music artist is measured in terms of YouTube views and social media following. But there are still some old-school rockers who rule people’s hearts without having to resort to much virtual publicity. Mukti and Revival’s YouTube page might not have millions of views or hundreds of thousands of subscribers but ask any Nepali music listener if they have heard about the band and they will probably sing you at least a tune or two. Mukti and Revival’s music precedes YouTube, Facebook, iTunes digital MP3 players and all those technological gimmicks of today. The band’s early fans listened to their first couple of albums on cassettes—song after song, side after side, without skipping a beat. Their music videos are also simple, elegant and DIY most of the times.

Their debut album “Kalanki Ko Jam” released in 2000, followed by “Bujhai Deu” (2002), “Dekhdai Chu Ma” (2007) and “Sadhai Bhari” (2012) have all given us unforgettable hits. From the bluesy rendition of late Arun Thapa’s “Sanjhako Jun Sangai” to the balladic “Chaubandi Cholo”, the folkish “Dalli Resham”, the ethnic “Wochu Galli” and the politically charged “Kalanki ko Jaam”, Mukti and Revival’s jukebox has it all. And to watch them play live is a treat to one’s consciousness, as they churn out their best numbers one by one and evoke every kind of emotion in you.

Mukti Shakya—the renegade bluesman of Nepal who has been active in the scene since the 80s—leads the talented troupe of musicians that form MNR with his unique vocals and virtuosic guitar skills. The senior-most member of the band whose age is a matter of mystery (and he likes to keep it like that) plays every gig with the energy of a teenager performing at his school prom. Mukti is backed by an equally spirited team of Sunit Kansakar on guitars, Roshan Kansakar on bass and Nikhil Tuladhar on drums. All the musicians also sing backing vocals to give the band a harmonic edge.

MNR is all set to release their new album “Swotantra” on May 25 at the Patan Museum

MNR is all set to release their new album “Swotantra” on May 25 at the Patan Museum. The self-produced, self-financed album took them more than two years to complete in the studio itself, the band members inform. “The experience has been so long I don’t even remember half of it,” says guitarist Sunit, who also does the recording work and mixing/mastering for the band at his studio Rec Records. “It is always tough dealing with Mukti dai. He is a perfectionist.”

“We have been releasing a new album every 5 or 6 years but this time it took us longer than expected,” Mukti says. “It is because we took up many concerts and tours in the past couple of years,” Roshan adds.

For the new album, the band is trying new sounds and sub-genres, but as always staying true to their blues roots, the band members inform. Their music video of the song “Dal Bhat” from the album was released in January and with the experimentation on ska and some reggae, the peppy number is already a hit among MNR fans. “Dal Bhat” is a song about the favorite meal of the Nepalis, rice and lentils, which paints a picture of the Nepali lifestyle in general.

The 8-track album “Swotantra” is about the lives of the Nepalis and what influences them. “We try to keep our music simple and straight from the heart, with the happenings around us the stimuli for our songs,” Mukti says. About their politically influenced lyrics in the past as well as in this album, Sunit adds that political taunts come to them unconsciously as everyone’s life is affected by politics one way or the other.

“Swotantra means free and we’re told we’re free in Nepal but that’s not what we feel,” Mukti says about the name of the album. “The common people are not swotantra. Swotantrata is a luxury reserved only for the people with power and money.”

Always searching for new sounds and artistic collaborations, MNR’s “Swotantra” will also feature other young musicians and lyricists. The band’s album launch on May 25 will see the band collaborate with other talented musicians like Basanta Sunam (trumpet) and Inap Raj Shrestha (saxophone)—who have also played on the track “Dal Bhat”—as well as Manice Gandharva (sarangi), Milan Ghimire (flute), and a dhime group from Kirtipur.

The extravagant fares of the sultans, the rulers, the conquerors, and the emperors. That’s what you get to taste when you dine at the Mughal Empire restaurant in Lazimpat. Located on the main Lazimpat road (opposite the famous Trisara), Mughal Empire is a multi-cuisine restaurant which specializes in Asian food.

True to its name, the venue offers lavish seating arrangements, and the well-dressed service staff are always present to make you feel like royalty. You can get the best fine dining experience all day long at Mughal Empire. What’s more, it opens its kitchen till midnight. Now you know where to go for your late night cravings. They even deliver to nearby areas!

THE MENU

Chef’s Special:

- Murgh Mushallam

- Coconut Garlic Prawn

- Biryani

Opening hours: 11 am to12 am

Location: Lazimpat

Cards: Accepted

Meal for 2: Rs 1,500

Reservations: 01441567