Warning: If you consider marijuana a ‘drug’ and all those consuming it ‘tyaape’ or ‘addicts’, read no further. This review is not for you. Also, if you believe ‘freedom of expression’ for artists and filmmakers should be subjected to the conservative lenses of a bunch of failed filmmakers and political appointees at the Film Development Board (FDB), go watch the commercial family films released after 2016. 

You can then compare how tone-deaf commercial films with double-meaning jokes and socially embarrassing content pass the board’s notorious radar but a truly witty independent film like “Gaja Baja” gets shredded. Gaja Baja is closer to the reality of Nepali youth and society than most of FDB’s no-objections commercial movies, but who is going to tell them?

Back in 2016, the board had refused to even register “Gaja Baja” as a movie name because (drum roll!) “gaja [marijuana] is a drug and it could promote drug use.” The director, Ganesh Raj Panday, then filed a writ at the Supreme Court and got the decision in his favor. Still the FDB, when approving the film in March 2018, asked all the “vernacular dialogues” to be muted and slapped it with an adult certificate. 

But despite writer/director Panday’s struggles to release the film and all the controversy surrounding it, Gaja Baja proved to be too early for the Nepali audience when it was released in theaters in 2018. Released recently on YouTube, the film’s gradually getting the right attention, and if the hype continues, it might also get that rare “cult status” among Nepal movies. 

Dadhe (Anupam Sharma) and Gorey (Sushil Sitaula) are unemployed best friends who love to smoke pot. The film chronicles a day in the life of this duo that is not only simple-minded but also abandoned by luck. Their mishaps and misadventures as they hustle to get a day’s fix of marijuana make for some hilarious moments. On an old Vespa, Dadhe and Gorey take to the streets of Kathmandu looking for marijuana even as they are pursued by gangster Dhude (Rabin Thapa), whom they owe money.

Also read: The Harder They fall movie review: Retelling a classic story with everything modern 

The film production is a mixed bag of the good, the bad, and the ugly. But as it has already been butchered by the censor board—I think a 120mins+ film was reduced to 80-odd minutes)—we give the ugly a pass and talk only about the good, and maybe a bit about the bad too. The good thing about the film is of course the acting of Sharma and Sitaula as Dadhe and Gorey respectively. The duo of young, lesser-known actors is so convincing it’ll probably be difficult for the audience to see them as any other characters in future movies. 

Then comes the film’s cinematography that brings Dadhe and Gorey’s POVs to the screen. On a screenplay that blows hot and cold throughout, cinematographer Jagopo Raslic and editor Lokesh Bajracharya create a fast-paced series that follow the main characters in their adventures and help the audience relate to their state of mind. A tough task done well. 

Gaja Baja talks a lot about gaja, also giving out stoners’ wisdom at times. And when it comes to the baja part, the music and background score by Nikh & Jata takes you on another high. The musician duo uses a lot of jazz, rock, and the obvious reggae to create interesting soundscapes that aid to the movie’s whole ‘stoniness’.  

Who should watch it?

With Dadhe and Gorey, we get our own versions of “Cheech and Chong.” Movies like Gaja Baja that challenge the norms of Nepali filmmaking are important for the industry’s growth. Too much use of ‘formula’ has kind of infected Nepali filmmaking and when films like Gaja Baja try and break the chain, the audience gets new expectations. Anyways, don’t watch the movie if you’re under 18 or those mentioned at the top. But if you’re neither, Gaja Baja is a must-watch, to enjoy and to support. 

Gaja Baja

Genre: Dark comedy
Rating: 4 stars
Director: Ganesh Dev Panday
Actors: Anupam Sharma, Sushil Sitaula, Barsha Siwakoti
Run time: 1hr 25mins