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Rumor has it that Salman Khan is planning to visit Nepal. Khan, who last traveled to Nepal in 1992, is said to have been invited by Nirmal Purja, the renowned Nepali mountaineer and a member of the British Army. The Bollywood superstar is positive about a possible visit, according to reports.

Posting a picture with Khan on his social media, Purja writes, "What a pleasure meeting Salman Bhai! Humble and Legendary! See you soon in my country brother!”

When Tenzing Sherpa got the role of the ‘music player’ in Club Jolly Blues—the first discotheque in Kathmandu—back in 1992, he didn’t know the profession was called disk jockeying. He was an ordinary music-loving teen who used to go to the club every evening to listen to music and the club owner, with whom he had developed a friendship, offered him a job. He got himself the stage name DJ Tenzing and started playing with CDs and simple mixing devices as there were no professional instruments or training in Nepal in those days.

Born and raised in Solukhumbu, Sherpa came to Kathmandu for higher studies after completing his SLC. Until then, he had no fixed aim in life. He just wanted to make enough to pay his college fees and rent. “I used to leave the club at 2 am and attend my college at 5 am,” Sherpa shares about his initial days in the profession. “I then slept after returning from college at 9 am.”

Even long after starting out on this journey, he hadn’t dreamt of a professional career as a DJ: playing music was just a hobby and a small source of pocket money. But DJs started getting space on outdoor musical concerts and festivals after 2006, which made them more sought-after and increased their earnings too, and it was only then that Sherpa chose DJ as his permanent career. By then, the Internet and other technologies had also developed, which came in handy for him to practice new styles of playing.

After seven years at Club Jolly Blues, in 1999, Sherpa joined Club X-zone at Durbar Marg. He played there for around three years. He also worked at Hyatt Regency’s Rox Bar and Hotel Yak and Yeti’s Club Platinum. He started doing  freelance shows from 2008. Till date, he has done over 1,000 stage programs in and outside the country, including in the US, the UK, Korea, Japan, Israel, Germany, Belgium, France, Luxemburg, Portugal, Spain, Netherland, Hong Kong, Qatar, and India, among other countries . “There is nothing better than seeing people dance and love your remix,” he shares when asked about the best part of being a DJ.

Also read: Sugam Pokharel: The ideal Nepali pop culture Idol

In 2007, to promote his maiden album “DJ Tenzing”, he organized “DJ Tenzing All Nepal Tour” with several popular Nepali singers. The album includes various popular songs like ‘Isarale Bolaunu Pardaina’, ‘Jham Jham Istakot’, ‘Jhimkai Deu Pareli’, ‘Lalupate Fulyo Banaima’, ‘Yo Gaun Ko Thito Ma’, etc. Sherpa has also done a show at Everest Base Camp with the theme of “Stop Global Warming and Save the Himalayan”. Besides that, he was one of the judges in a DJ reality show “War of DJ” which aired for three seasons from 2010 to 2012.

“I have seen many ups and downs in the DJ fraternity during my three decades in the industry,” he says. For example, in the past, DJs didn’t have money, but they had prestige, but these days, things are exactly the opposite, Sherpa remarks. DJs are only regarded as ordinary guys with laptops and headphones, he notes. “I have groomed myself by mixing manually but youngsters nowadays just put software at auto-tune,” says Sherpa.

“I wish the government had plans to promote nightclubs as they also attract a decent number of tourists and thus contribute to the economy,” he says. Sherpa thinks that these clubs, which employ people from diverse backgrounds, have been devastated by the pandemic. But instead of helping them out in these difficult times, the government seems intent on stifling their growth, he laments.

There are many DJs in town today: half in the scene to cultivate their hobby while the other half is determined to make it a career. Sherpa sees the future of DJ aspirants as bright as the number of clubs in the country is steadily rising. “It is not that difficult to sustain financially, and if you can maintain good PR, you will get the shows and tours on a regular basis.”

Miss Nepal World 2020 Namrata Shrestha has entered the ‘Top 40’ of Miss World 2021. The final of the pageant has been rescheduled for 16 March 2022 in Puerto Rico after being put off in December 2021 due to the Covid-19 risk.

Shrestha had also entered the Top 10 of the ‘beauty with a purpose’ round back in December. This time too, she entered the Top 20 as one of the ‘15 fast track winners’. Writes Shrestha in her Instagram, “As we have been told from Day 1, “We all are winners” WE ARE!!! To my sisters chosen to advance further in the pageant yesterday, a big congratulations, I can’t wait to reunite with you all in Puerto Rico this March!”

In all these years of watching and listening to scores of remixed music, never had I imagined that a song so peppy, flirty, and iconic 90s as ‘Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein’ from the 1993 blockbuster “Baazigar” could be turned into a soundtrack so sinister as in Netflix’s latest series “Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein.” The Hindi-language series not only remixes the song to sound ominous but also gives a menacing interpretation to William Shakespeare’s famous phrase: “For she had eyes and chose me.”

Vikrant (Tahir Raj Bhasin) is a fresh engineering graduate who has his life planned out. He has applied for an entry-level position at a steel factory in another town and is fairly confident about getting hired. Once he gets the job, he will marry his sweetheart Shikha (Shweta Tripathi Sharma) and leave his hometown to live happily ever after.

But just then the entry of an old acquaintance completely changes his life’s trajectory. Purva (Anchal Singh), an old schoolmate and the daughter of Onkara’s notorious MLA Akheraj Awasthi Vidrohi (Saurabh Shukla), enters Vikrant’s life to destroy it.

The Awasthi family is among the main reasons Vikrant wants to leave Onkara. His father works under and worships Akheraj, a ruthless criminal in the guise of a politician and as for Purva, her presence and advances even as children always made Vikrant uncomfortable. Now that she is back and all grown up, Purva’s friendship proposal for Vikrant has turned into a full-blown demand to marry her. As reluctant as he is, the pressure from his own family as well as the Awasthis makes Vikrant fight for his life, literally.

Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein is dark humor mixed with thrilling elements to keep the audience occupied throughout. The twists and turns till the very end are convincing, if you overlook a few momentary lapses. Right from the beginning scene where Vikrant, under distress, begins to narrate his life story, the film takes this tone of urgency and despair that become its motif.

Also Read: Saif shines in his signature role, again

Director Sidharth Sengupta narrates the clichéd 90s Bollywood pulp fiction story in eight episodes of under an hour each. Although the storyline, like its OST, resembles a remix of various Bollywood plots and subplots from the 90s and early 2000s, Sengupta uses a modern filmmaker’s lens to create contemporary visuals that are enticing and entertaining. The setting, in a bustling town in India’s Uttar Pradesh, is captured to bring to light every detail, giving the audience an inside view of the people and life there.

The strong screenplay and storytelling of Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein is further strengthened by the acting. Tahir Raj Bhasin is an absolute gem in his role as Vikrant, a common man who has to fight tooth and nail to protect himself and his loved ones. Anchal Singh as Purva, the desi femme fatale looks at ease inflicting every possible pain on the star-crossed lovers. Saurabh Shukla, in a rare negative role, is still at his natural best as Akheraj Awasthi, the overpowering villain who makes life miserable for everyone who defies him.

Among the main characters, Shweta Tripathi Sharma as Shikha is a bit underwhelming though, borrowing her wardrobe and style from her 2015 film “Masaan” but her character lacks the intensity here. In all fairness to the actor, the writers seem to have strangely written Shikha as a submissive tool who is under the control of everyone around her but herself.

 Who should watch it?

“Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein,” is a solid entertainer that could cater to the audiences of thrillers with a pinch of dark humor. The whole series can be watched over a weekend. For me, I am already excited about the second season.

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Thriller

Actors: Tahir Raj Bhasin, Anchal Singh, Saurabh Shukla

Director: Sidharth Sengupta

Run time: 6hrs 30mins (Approx.)