Going where his heart takes him

Born and brought up in Kathmandu, Brazesh Khanal wears many hats. As well-versed in penning newspaper columns as he is in acting or directing mov­ies, Brazesh, as he likes to be called, has also written two novels: ‘Yayawar’ and ‘Juneli’. All his works have been noted for their nuance. Biplob Pra­sai of APEX caught up with him recently.

 

Why do you refrain from using your family name?

I decided to avoid using my surname around 10-12 years ago. I think surnames and castes only divide people, so I just want to be known as Brazesh. I person­ally try not to use my sur­name in any medium I work with but people still tend to use it for me, which I can do nothing about.

 

What inspired you to take up writing initially?

 

My father was a renowned journalist and we had our own printing press and a weekly newspaper. I grew up being surrounded by pen and paper, so writing was the most natural thing to do. This in turn encouraged me to take up a career in literature later in my life.

 

When and how did writing, as a career, start for you?

 

My first article was pub­lished in “Gorkhapatra” when I was in the 8th grade. I don’t remem­ber what it was about but at that time, getting published in the only national daily of Nepal was a huge deal for me. It inspired me to write more. With this new-found con­fidence, I started contributing to my father’s newspaper. It slowly became my habit and later it turned into an addiction.

 

From a writer to an actor and then a script writer, how did the transition happen?

 

Growing up, I was involved in almost everything from writing to playing sports to participating in dramas at school functions. My involve­ment with theater at an early age nurtured my love for act­ing. After completing class 10, I got to play a part in the serial ‘Panchatantra’ which my father was directing for Nepal Television in the early years of the channel.

 

Then I began writing scripts for TV serials, after which I got offers from the film industry. It was also a period I took a break from literary writing. Acting is quite dif­ferent to writing but both are related to creativity and I have always been interested in anything that stimulates cre­ativity in me. Maybe that’s the reason I have ended up doing so many things.

 

What made you switch back to writing after being with the film industry for so many years?

 

I got so involved and busy with films that I never actually had a thought about writing for quite some time. But one fine morning I real­ized it wasn’t the only thing I wanted to do. Financially, I was satisfied with what I was earning, but I am someone who doesn’t get greedy once his basic needs are met. When a person real­izes he does not need to be confined by money, he is free to do a lot. So I got back to writing literature because it was where my heart belonged. I started writing articles and during that period I decided to write a novel. Everybody has a story to tell and I also had many. I wanted to put my stories before a larger audi­ence. Thus I started on my first novel.

 

Hope it doesn’t mean you have given up acting com­pletely.

 

No, not really. I do get approached for acting jobs occasionally. If I find some­thing that excites and chal­lenges me, I will for sure take up the project. Currently, there’s talks about adapting ‘Shirish ko Phool’ for a theat­rical production at Shilpi the­ater. If things go as planned, I will soon step back into my acting shoes.

 

So what are you currently involved in?

 

I’m writing a weekly humor column for an online news portal, which is going very well and people are enjoy­ing it. At the same time, I am writing a memoir on my three-decade-long experience in Nepali cinema. It will come out in a couple of months.