The inner and outer world of Alok Nembang:Get him more CLOSER

I've known this person called Alok Nembang for a long span of time. He is always there for me for whenever i ask him a favour. For me he's a senior brother i can look upon, a trustworthy friend for my high and lows. Today when  i look back upon those memoirs of the first meeting with him ,he is a complete different person now. Every thing has changed,every single thing. He has moved big from directing music videos to two odd films. But still, he's the same. Same open book. And still i'm reading him. For many a people, he is a  film director, video coreographer, a TV celebrity, and one of the most successful young filmmakers in Nepali filmdom but for me Alok Nembang is more than this Adjectives.
      Yesterday we agreed to  talk on the topics that's not much of taste to the glamour birds and believe me that turned the most easy and surprising ride when he answered my not-so-funny questions. As for now Alok Nembang is almost ready with his second directorial feature 'Kohi Mero'(http://www.kohimero.com/), so he's excited,chilled,drained and tensed with this new outing.
I have had his interview, on his film career,his ups and downs, and especially on KOHI MERO, which is near to release. But for the moment enjoy reading The inner and outer world of Alok Nembang.

1.What's your state of mind now ?

CHILLED....i guess..haha..honestly speaking i don't know.


2.What was your nickname in school ?

AALOO..some people still call me that.

3.What are the three essential ingridients of love ?

Trust,trust & trust.

4.Which has been the most memorable telephone call of your life ?

 Still waiting for one...Karthik calling karthik..

5.Which is your favourite part of human body ?

It has to be the HEART..dhak dhak..

6.What's the weirdest thing you've put in mouth ?

I am very careful of what i put in my mouth...

7.I f u had to make an apology,to whom it would be and why ?

Someone..too personal to disclose.

8.Which has been your greatest extravagance?

 Its always FOOD..

9.What's the one thing you want the most ?

My SPACE...

10.Which is the sexiest word in English language ?

SHOWTIME..don't ask me why...

11.When was the last time you cried ?

Its very easy for me to cry..well it was couple days back while watching a movie.

12.What do you do when you are really angry ?

Scream & throw things at people... hahaha

13.What's the worst thing anyone has said to u ?

People are ruthless they say nasty things all the time but who cares....

14.What's the nicest thing anyone has said to u ?

I don't know when people are being genuine or fake..so i don't take these things seriously.

15.Are you better film maker or a better video coreographer ?

I would like to believe i am good at both..its upto u guys to decide.

16.What keeps you going on crisis?

My positive attitude..that's my biggest asset.

17.Which book have you read most often?

It has to be Paulo coelho's The alchemist..or The street car named desire by Tenesse Williams

18.Which book have you fineshed most recent?

recently??..none.

19.Does the body rule the mind or the mind rule the body ?

In my case it has to be my heart.

20.What won't you joke about ?

Work, religion & sexual oreintation.

21.Three things you recall most about your upbringing ?

 Love, R.D.Burman's music and lavish lifestyle which i wished i had now.

22.What do u regret most in life ?

Not being able to play a musical instrument.

23.What's the best thing about being ALOK NEMBANG?

Make movies....

24.What's the best gift your friends have given you ?

I cherish and value anything that people give me..

25.How easy is it for you to cope with depression ?

Remember the line "this too shall pass"

26.What's your idea of a perfect,romantic day ?

What romantic??? who??? me???

27.Three turns-offs?

People, people, people...i m seriuos..

28.What is the most attarctive quality about a woman ?

Genuieness...

29.Which is the best way to say Good-Bye ?

I don't like good byes...

30.How would you describe yourself to some one you didn't know ?

 I'm very complicated...

31.How would you like people to describe you ?

I don"t mind being called complicated...

32.Do you belive in God ?

Yes i do... Infact I frequently go to Karya Vinyak temple...i really feel the connection with this particular God.


33. If you could ask God one question what would it be ?

Why are humans soo messed up?

34.Do angles exist ?

 I believe they do.

35.Who is the one person who has influnced you the most ?

I would not say a person but nature has really been my source of inspiration.

36.What does friendship mean to you ?

Something that comes with a expiration date..

37.If you were allowed just one letter, to whom and about what would it be ?

 To myself..about what i really need to do to be able to learn the ways of the world.

38.What does success mean to you and how important is it?

Success is very subjective...very temporary..but it make you feel good.

39.What's the cutest thing about you ?

 Cute & me???? are you kidding.

40.What are you most terrified of being remembered as?

Once you are gone you are gone...does that really matter.


41.To your Viewers....

 
Well..i really appreciate the kind of support you all have given me..In my 12 year long career i have been in touch with you all through my work and its been a very fulfilling journey. Hope you will always be there for me. My second directorial venture KOHI...MERO will come out in fews months time & i sincerly hope you all will watch it and give me your feedbacks. Thanks much...

Sudarshan Thapa ,i and Mero Love Story

He is what one would call as the brooding face of the Nepali cinema's present phase! He is passionate, believes in dreams , and it did not take time for Sudarshan Thapa to move out of his mellowing dreams and carve a niche' for himself. The man was the centre of attention last year as he made the hit Mero Euta Saathi Cha with Aryan Sigdel ,and Namrata Shrestha. Sudarshan will now be making his Second onscreen directorial with Mero Love Story. He is also discussing the script of his few next. Busy man he is. This entertaining column is a chit-chat between me (Kumar Bhattarai) and the director himself(sudarshan Thapa),which i think is an interesting piece to share.


Kumar : Mero euta..was one of the finest movie that comes in Nepali celluloid so far ,now you again are set for next game with "Mero Love Story",any tensions,fears...
Sudarshan: Ha,Ha.I love this question. I would like to break it into two categories. One is- all the time even the greatest of the greatest directors comes with certain tensions and pressure when it comes to his/her next film,and am not an expectional. And two - yes, expectaions scares me ,especially after Mero euta saathi's phenominal success.

Sudarshan Thapa: Now you tell me, as a writer of this film, do your nerves give you a goose bump ?
Kumar :My film ,i believe is neither rooted in reality nor are they escapist fare. I have written a story,on what i emotionally felt at that few particular moments,when i was visualising all those agendas. Actually, i have never looked it that seriously though i'll go into a cave when it gets realese in the theatres.

Kumar : Tell us about the casts and crews.
Sudarshan.As you know it,we've penciled into Aryan Sigdel, Vinay Shrestha and Richa Sharma with some mix bag of yesteryear's popular senior members for the casts thing..and yeah Rajesh Sing is operating camera,there is Suren Paudel for me again as an editor after Mero Euta..it's like home coming .

Kumar :But you share the same top line(actors) to First love....
Sudarshan : Yes,we share the same toplines but we are making two different movies with two different themes,though actors wise we have same people on the set....and i guess it has nothing to do with who is working with-who...if you see the examples from hollywood or a bollywood Amitabh Bachchan,Parween Babi and Amzad Khan did so many films together and they only proved better when they came together on screen....Content and substance of the film do matter ..rest is a history when your work is appericiated.

Sudarshan :How much do you like sticking to the vis-a-vis allowing actors to improvise ?
Kumar : For me the scripts is the Gita and the Bible,but then essentially as a writer I see my role as a refree at a football match,coaching is not my duty then..it's all over to my director..and for this moment on the filed the actors have to discover their skill and score with the fine coaching of you.If they go offside/out of character or out of the storyline then you blow the stick...Hmm..to improvise is the essence for all of us because it means we are in touch with our instincts.

Kumar : You seem to be moving away from presonalised cinema. Is this a conscious decision ?
Sudarshan : If you mean that the larger than life Mero love story...has been a departure from those some-how-real life characters of MERO EUTA SAATHI CHA,then yes it was a conscious decision. But i would hope that one single film is not an indication of what will follow. Only when we experiment with what lies beyond our comfort zone,can we evolve as storytellers.

Kumar : Is censorship necessary ?
Sudarshan : We should not censor creative arts. A big No...

Sudarshan : You have a very strong urban sensibility that comes through brilliantly in your work. Do you think you are limited to that demographic or do you belive you can cut across wider sections of the country ?
Kumar : I would hope that my subjects are not limited to a particualr kind of audience. The feedback i recieve from people across the country,be it a metropolis or a small town,regarding the very subject we are working together,is encouraging enough to make me belive that my work will influence people across all demographics. Furthermore, I also believe that as long as the core of the film, i.e. the story, is universal,it will be understood by all regardless of its treatment.

Kumar: Does a film maker ever know exactly what the audience wants ?
Sudarshan : In a country like Nepal it is very difficult to judge the pulse of the people. With the different of tastes how can we judge what the audience wants ? What we can definately know is what we want. So probably the solution lies there. Making something that we want rather than trying to judge what people in different cites or Critics want. If we're lucky our taste matches that of the majority..than we have a hit.

Kumar : If you were not in cinema what would be your profession ?
Sudarshan : I would have been a Pan Pasale..JOKES aparts..i would have been an actor of a theatre then because i love the whole proccess of not being to your self but rather being to an unknown person you never got to know before.

Kumar :Your favourite actor/actress...
Sudarshan : Hmm..all of them are doing great jobs.

Sudarshan : Tell me your favourite actor/actress...
Kumar : Saugat Malla,Aryan,Vinaya and Richa Sharma Ha,Ha...

Kumar :One film that you are dyeing to see....
Sudarshan: There are many actually!

Sudarshan :So what after doing this...
Kumar: There are few projects i'm in talk to....amm..may be i'll be busy shooting some short films of my own..

Kumar :Was there any trigger point that made you turn Director ?
Sudarshan : I joined Neer Shah's film school as a student in acting and i always wanted to be an actor..did few serials too....But there was something waiting me and now i realized dreaming of becoming an actor is my self triger point of becoming a director.

Kumar: So what to expect from Mero love story for now ?
Sudarshan: Together we (you and me), We've tried to come up with a fresh love tale with so much of fun,emotion and entertaintment in the bill..so as for now I,along with my team will have a focuse to put in sincere effort to make an original work with a heart in it.

MY NAME IS KHAN- Go For It

In an early voice-over in director Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan, Shah Rukh Khan's character Rizwan says his mother loved him unconditionally from the moment he was born, never disappointed or embarrassed of his autism. It's hard not to feel the same kind of unconditional love for Rizwan when you're sitting there in your seat, listening to him as he innocently offers to repair the air-conditioner in a high-security US prison where he is being held and tortured by a suspicious FBI who cannot understand why he's determined to meet the US President. Rizwan Khan has Asperger's Syndrome since birth; he has a problem expressing emotions, he rejects physical intimacy, he's bothered by crowded spaces and loud noise, and he's disturbed by the sight of anything yellow. Other than that, he's quite smart actually. He can repair faulty home appliances and crack word puzzles in an instant. What he cannot mend is his wife's broken heart, when 9/11 delivers a personal blow. My Name Is Khan is an inherently sincere, yet unabashedly sentimental story of Rizwan Khan and his Forrest Gumpish journey across America to meet the US President so he can tell him that every Muslim is not a terrorist. The film's message of religious tolerance and global secularism is an important one, but hardly new. Johar's occasionally naïve script places a series of seemingly impossible hurdles in the way of Rizwan, that he overcomes with sheer good-heartedness and love. Like the clunky portion where he returns to a hurricane-hit small-town in Georgia and inspires a community rebuilding effort. The director sacrifices subtlety and goes all-guns-blazing to emotionally seduce you. Rizwan's romance with Hindu single-mom Mandira (played by Kajol) and his bond with her son provide the anchor points in a film that tends to overwhelm you with convenient touches. My Name Is Khan has Johar's typical cheesy flourishes, like the moment when a church choir sings We Shall Overcome and Rizwan breaks into Hum Honge Kamyab. However, for the most part, the director makes a departure from his bubblegum themes. At roughly two hours and forty minutes, the film is a tad long and packs in every possible plot point that might elicit an emotional response. There are encounters with fundamentalists, the stirring of a nationwide humanitarian campaign, even montage moments of hate crimes against innocent Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11. But My Name Is Khan steams ahead confidently, propelled by the chemistry of its leads. Johar is on rock-solid ground when he's exploring the relationship between Rizwan and Mandira, investing the film with its finest moments. Watch how Shah Rukh and Kajol virtually bounce off each other in the Tere naina song, and the innocent cheekiness of that post-wedding bedroom scene when they finally discuss what they must get down to doing. In a striking performance that's right up there alongside Swades and Chak De India, Shah Rukh Khan is endearing and restrained and makes it very hard for you not to lose your heart to him. He never turns the Aspergers-afflicted Rizwan into a caricature, using his peculiarities to warm up to you instead. Notice how he repeats his lines over and over again, or jumps in to correct someone when they've mispronounced his name, or how he hides his face and blushes when Mandira asks him to marry her. Bringing emotional depth to what is essentially Rizwan's story, Kajol is immensely likeable as Mandira, using her eyes to convey volumes, topping the performance off with a powerful breakdown scene that literally puts her through the wringer. In all fairness, My Name Is Khan benefits considerably from inspired casting. Zarina Wahab is heart-warming as Rizwan's mother, and Soniya Jehan exudes a quiet grace in the role of his supportive sister-in-law. A thumbs-up also for Tanay Chheda who plays the young Rizwan with remarkable consistency. The film shamelessly tugs at your heartstrings and on more than one occasion wallops you to weep. Aided by solid camerawork, tight editing and a layered story, Johar crafts an engaging, stirring saga that is earnest and noble. With this message movie in the mainstream format, the director takes a step in the right direction.
I'm going with four out of five for Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan. Watch it for its star who doesn't miss a beat. JAI CINEMA

Sudarshan thapa's quest for New lady in his next film.

SUDARSHAN THAPA,who is set to wear the director's cap again after his highly appericiated MERO RUTA SAATHI CHAa, is looking for a new face to cast opposite Aryan Sigdel. The hunt for a new girl is on for the film, to be produced by Suraj Acharya and written by Kumar Bhattarai. Confriming this news he says, "I am looking for a fresh,dyanamic and motivated female face for my next film. She is okey if she has no acting, or a modeling experiences and vis-a-vis.I have no such hang-ups either.Apparently, when i was working on MERO EUTA SAATHI CHA, i had this in mind. Also I feel that it's high time we see new female faces in cinema." About his casts and crews,he says "I haven't approached anyone! Am still sorting out an avalanche of photos of new girls.that's for sure. The one who's been signed on dotted line is Aryan Sigdel but the remaining cast amd crews are still to be finalised." Talking about his next film, he says, ''i am not in a position where i can say this and that. All i can say- this time it will be a romantic comedy and sorry we are not copying from anywhere of the world." Talking about all those allegations against his first flick MERO EUTA SAATHI CHA, he says,"We were always honest with that cinema. We never did hide anything about the film. We said it's A MILLIONIARE'S FIRSTLOVE in Nepali style. That's the only film i did go remaking way but from now on NOTE IT- each of my film will have an original story and i can bet you'll find it true when my second film sees it's realese." Hopefully, he will recreate the magic of his first film with his second outing which is slated to go on floor after january 2010 . As for now all female aspirings do send your C.V and 3 photos to popcornkb@gmail.com