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If you don’t mind the dusty and muddy roads and tight-screwed traffic jams to get there, Boudha is the place to chill out. The calm, meditative aura of the Boudhanath Stupa lifts up your spirits and so does the food from the various cafes and restaurants all around.Patio 747, located 70 meters east of the Boudhan­ath gate, is one such eatery that is getting all the attention. This multi-cuisine restaurant serves a vari­ety of tasty dishes, from Indian to Continental cui­sines, combined with a multi-option menu of local and domestic spirits, cocktails, mocktails, shooters and other non-alcoholic beverages. The restaurant also has its own offerings of pastries, cakes and des­serts at moderate prices. It has a spacious parking too, which is a luxury in Boudha. Patio 747 does not exactly have a proper patio, as the name suggests, but it’s one comfy outlet with delicious food for sure.

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Chef’s Special:

- Grilled Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

- Chicken Pasta Salad

- Chicken Sizzler

Opening hours: 10 am - 9 pm

Location: Boudha

Cards: Not Accepted

Reservations:Call 01-4482747

In association with Metropole—a French organization that pro­motes international artistic exchanges and collective creation—Alliance Française Kathmandu had on May 11 launched a (still ongoing) photo exhibit, ‘Nepali Por­traits & Landscapes’. Held after a photography workshop by Eric Huynh in April, the exhibit dis­played the best shot of each participant. At the launch, visitors had the opportunity to get their own portraits cap­tured by Huynh.

Eric Huynh is a French photographer who takes the images of human beings who are going about their daily lives. His portraits have been exhibited all over the world: France, the US, Vietnam, and Brazil, among other places.

The beauty of the exhibi­tion: each display photo has a different story, depending on the perspective of the person looking at it.

The exhibition, being held inside the premises of Alliance Francaise Kath­mandu, Pulchowk, runs through June 29.

The play Kora brings sev­eral stories together to portray the lives of Tibetan refugees living in exile in Nepal and India. The emotional hour-long drama depicts the struggles of the refugees and their hopes to return to Tibet someday. In one scene, the happiness of a refugee’s family with the birth of a son suddenly turns into gloom upon the realiza­tion that the newborn was yet another person the world would label as a refugee.

Kora is based on four poems—Horizon, Refugee, The Tibetan in Mumbai and Exile House—in an anthology of short stories and poems by Tibetan author Tenzin Tsundue. Tsundue is a poet, writer and activist, who won the Outlook-Picador Award in 2001.

The four poems were translated into Nepali by Che Shankar. Loonibha Tuladhar directs the play while Shreeti Pradhan and Rubin Kumar Shrestha give the background music. In 2008, Tuladhar had directed a version of the play which featured, among other actors, Dayahang Rai and Aashant Sharma.

The current version has Bipin KC, Suraj KC, Anish Thakuri, Bipul Thapa, Sami Rai, Sharmila Shres­tha and Sudharshan Khatri in leading roles.

The play is being staged at Shilpee Theatre in Battisputali every day at 5:30 pm except on Tuesday. The last show is on June 14.

Prashant Rasaily is not a household name in Nepal, not yet. But to a connoisseur of Nepali films, Rasaily has made enormous creative contribution to the industry; he provides a breath of fresh air to the mundane, formulaic portrayal of the Nepali society in mainstream Nepali cinema. From writing screenplay for the ground-breaking “Kaagbeni” (2008) to directing the tell-tale “Acharya” (2011) and then writing, directing, producing and giving music to the critically acclaimed “Katha” (2013), Rasaily has done it all. And he has done so with critical acclaim, a rarity in Nepali cinema.

Hailing from Sikkim, Rasaily has tried his hands in Bolly­wood too, assisting the famous filmmaker Anurag Basu in his Hritik Roshan-starrer “Kites.” The multi-talented filmmaker is currently in Nepal, taking an artistic retreat in the peaceful Pokhara and planning his next venture.

Sunny Mahat for APEX talks to Rasaily about his current work and future plans.

Excerpts:

So is it a total retreat from work for you right now?

I recently returned to Pokhara from Kathmandu after working on an indie film called “Cheeso Ashtray.” I’m providing technical and creative support to a fea­ture-length film being directed by Dinesh Palpali.

You come from Sikkim and probably had better oppor­tunities in India. So why did you choose Nepal and specially Pokhara as your work/rest destination?

I’ve been coming to Nepal regularly since the making of Kagbeni. Nepal is my second home. I hadn’t been here for a few years so I thought I’d come and stay for a while. As for Pokhara, I like this city for its calm and peaceful ambi­ence. I’ve been here for the past four or five months and I have found peace.

Any projects that you’re working on in near future?

A filmmaker’s work is never fixed. I’ll work for whatever project suits me and with whichever team I fancy. I have not committed anywhere yet and I’m keeping my options open. For now, I’m just find­ing peace here in Pokhara and I’m happy to do whatever I can when the time is right.

How important is formal learning in filmmaking, especially for aspiring Nepali filmmakers?

Learning is important no matter what we do. We film­makers either learn in school or on set. But formal learn­ing is still necessary, I think. These days, due to the readily available technology, anyone can make a movie and every­one is becoming a filmmaker. But film-making is not just only about grabbing a cam­era and shooting. It has many technical aspects and you also need to understand life. It’s about your ability to skillfully project your experiences in your work.

I am meeting a lot of young people who’re coming out of the few film schools here, and I see a good future for them. As for myself, even though I am not actually a trainer or a teacher, I want to share whatever I’ve learnt by experience with the new generation of filmmakers.

How much do you follow the Nepali film industry? Do you think it is making progress?

The progress is slow but there is progress. Compared to the number of movies released in Nepal every year, the number of exceptional movies is not that high. I can see some really good work in a few movies and I think that number has to increase to call it progress.

You have experience of working in Bollywood as well. The Bombay-based film industry has gone global lately. Why can’t we produce such global movies?

I think it’s about the thoughts in the first place. So long as you don’t have the right thoughts, you won’t be professional or dedicated. You will not have what it takes to go global. It is our thought patterns that need to change. Some people are already on their way though and doing amazingly. The number of these people has to increase in the industry. Some recent films are really nice and original, like “Kabaddi” and “Pashupati Prasad.” We can see the change coming in the Nepali film industry, but like I’ve said, the change is rather slow.