Sarauto: Made of plastic, not fantastic
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
Crime writing at its best
Crime fiction
Snap
Belinda Bauer
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Published: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 433, Paperback
Belinda Bauer’s novel ‘Snap’, inspired by the murder of a pregnant woman, Marie Wilks, on the M50 in 1988, was longlisted for the Man Booker prize. It’s extremely rare for crime fiction to make it to the Man Booker list. But Snap isn’t a run-of-the-mill crime fiction either. In an interview, Bauer said she was more interested in victims than in crimes and, true to her words, Snap focuses more on the repercussions of the crime, in terms of the impact it has on the family of the victim, rather than on the crime itself.
Set in a small British town of Tiveron, Snap tells the story of 14-year-old Jack and his younger sisters following the murder of their mother. After being abandoned by their grief-ridden father, the three children live in a house stacked with newspapers that carry news of their mother’s murder. Jack’s sister continues to collect the papers in what is a macabre way of holding on to her mother’s final memory. Jack has to deal with the trauma of losing his parents while shouldering the responsibility of keeping his family together. It’s a lot for any teenager but Jack manages to keep the family afloat by breaking into homes and stealing whatever he can. There is a horde of other interesting characters whose lives become inextricably linked by this one unsolved murder.
Bauer worked as a journalist and then as a screenwriter before, at the age of 45, she finally sat down to write a book. Better late than never because Snap has both the edge-of-your-seat suspense as well as the turbulence of an emotional rollercoaster. It’s not just a wonderfully crafted novel about a teenage boy’s hunt for his mother’s killer. Bauer also explores how a single crime has so many ripple effects, and how it can affect different people differently. You find yourself pondering how life has the potential to fall apart and maybe eventually come together.
Bauer said that she had “never read anything that was actually marketed as a crime book” and that she started her journey of writing crime fiction “possibly on a different footing to someone who was immersed in the genre”. You are glad it was that way because what’s come out of it is an intriguing tale of loss, trauma, and familial bond, one that alters the way you view life.
Cha Cha Hui: No method to this mindless comedy
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
Delight for ‘Gone Girl’ fans
Phoebe Morgan’s second psychological thriller, ‘The Girl Next Door’, received fantastic reviews, just like her debut novel ‘The Doll House’ that was published in 2018. And rightly so because Morgan’s writing is gripping, characters believable, and she sure knows how to convincingly turn things around.
In The Girl Next Door we meet Jane Goodwin who, in her neighborhood, is considered to be a perfect wife with the perfect family. But the fact is, she goes to great lengths to keep up the façade. Things are far from perfect in her household but Jane manages to cover her bruises. When her neighbor, 16-year-old Clare Edwards, goes missing and is found murdered, Jane realizes she has to protect her family, lest her meticulously crafted life starts unraveling.
The premise might seem simple enough, like any other whodunit, but just when you think you have it all figured out, Morgan starts shifting the spotlight on another character, making you rethink your theory. The story is narrated from three different perspectives: by Clare leading up to her death, by her next door neighbor Jane, and then the detective investigating the crime, DS Madeline. Each narration sheds light on crucial clues and makes you question what you considered to be true after completing the previous chapter.
I have always been a sucker for crime fiction and take great pride in the fact that I’ve read so many authors in the genre that, by now, I’m usually able to predict the ending. I have been able to guess the endings of the last few thriller novels I have read halfway through the books. But The Girl Next Door broke my record.
What I loved about The Girl Next Door is that there were times when things felt very unsettling. It gave me the creeps and I actually shuddered a bit. Very rarely has crime fiction had that effect on me in recent years. Though the novel isn’t a killer-on-the-prowl-thriller that makes you want to sleep with the lights on, it’s dark and disturbing and thus messes with your head a bit. The wonderfully layered story has everything to keep you on the edge, a little scared but still unable to let go.
