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Rumba is not the only one complaining. Most movies made in the year 2074 have been unsuc­cessful. Only 10 percent of the 83 movies released in the year made a profit; 20 percent broke even. The producers of the rest blamed movie theater owners, actors and distributors for their film’s failure. Most producers who lost their investment are in no mood to make another film.

Although investments in films grew considerably last year, the return on them didn’t meet expectations. Film-mak­ing costs spiked largely because actors’ fees and other expenses increased. The cost of making one film last year ranged from Rs 2.5 million to 30 million. Only a few films were able to take advantage of the global mar­ket, and the domestic market wasn’t big enough to recoup costs. Many films couldn’t be completed on time—another fac­tor that swelled costs.

While 160 films were registered for production at the Film Devel­opment Board, only 83 were released in 2074 BS. Ghampa­ni, directed by Dipendra Lama, was released on the first day of the year. Lili Bili, directed by Milan Chams, and Nepte, direct­ed by Dev Kumar Shrestha, were released on last day of the year.

Most of the films released last year could recoup just 10 to 50 percent of the investment. A tiny number of them, however, made handsome profits—two to three times the investment cost. Films that earned the most profits last year include Chhakka Panja-2, Shatru Gate, Kri and Ae Mero Hajur.

Chhakka Panja-2, directed by Deepa Shree Niraula, per­formed well at the box office at a time when the trend of mak­ing sequels is growing. In fact, it did even better than its prequel Chhakka Panja in terms of box office collections. While the two films have a similar cast, their stories are different. Chhakka Panja-2 was produced with an investment of Rs 15 million.

Shatru Gate, another box-office success, was also made with an investment of Rs 15 million. It is still being screened at a few theaters. Although it is running in the fifth week, it is still giv­ing tough competition to new releases. It’s entirely possible that among the movies released last year, Shatru Gate, which made a whopping Rs 30.2 mil­lion in its first weekend, will be the highest earner. This film with a fairly large cast was directed by Pradip Bhattarai.

Kri, starring Anmol KC and Aditi Budhathoki, did earn a prof­it, but it had to pay a fine worth Rs 1.1 million for plagiarizing a song. Kri was directed by Suren­dra Paudel and produced by Bhu­wan KC and Subash Giri.

Some other films that recouped their investment include Aish­warya, Prem Geet-2, Ma Yas­to Geet Gaaunchhu, Kanchhi and Lili Bili. But because most films couldn’t recover their investment, the overall loss the film-making industry incurred last year totaled Rs 500 million.  

BY ANANTA WAGLE | KATHMANDU

During the felicitation program hosted by Monika Petra Scheiblauer, the gen­eral manager of Hotel Yak & Yeti, the climbers shared their extraordinary experiences and expressed their heartfelt connection to Nepal.

“It has been 40 years but the experience is still fresh,” Reinhold Messner, a member of the expedition, told APEX. “I wish to be back 20 years later and spend my last few years here. It is always won­derful to be here in Nepal.”

The other mountaineers of the 1978 expedition attend­ing the event were Wolfgang Nairz, Prof Dr Oswald Olz, Prof Peter Habeler, Prof Dr Raimund Magreiter, Robert Schauer, Hanns Schell and Helmuth Hagner. Nepal Mountaineering Association President Santa Bir Lama and the representative of Nepal Tourism Board Sudhan Subedi were also in attendance.

The Evoke Café and Bistro at Jhamiskhel, Lalitpur is a venue that offers great coffee choices, an eclectic food menu and selective live music, in a calm and cozy environment.

With its own spacious parking space and both indoors and outdoors seating, Evoke hosts a variety of events from mini-markets to theater performances, barbecue parties to live music.

The premise also shares space with The Local Project—a shop, gallery and studio—so you can eat, drink, party, and shop as well.  

THE MENU

Chef’s Special:

Evoke Lasagna, Waffles, Mozzarella Sticks, Fish and Chips

Opening hours

8 am-10 pm

Average Meal for two: Rs 2,500

Cards

Accepted  

Dissatisfied, Moon began looking for alternatives, new trails to the remot­est parts of Nepal that gave her the opportunity to explore uncharted territories, and that is how she stumbled upon the Great Himalayan Trail (GHT) in 2013. (Soon she would go on to become the first South Korean to complete the GHT high route.)

Giving experienced trekkers this unique opportunity was precisely the idea behind the GHT, which was launched in 2009 after five years of meticulous research, documentation and mapping. In the same year, Robin Boustead led the first team to complete the whole trail, in 162 days.

The GHT is a long-distance footpath that runs from Kanchanjunga in the east to Darchula in the west, cover­ing 1,700km and offering an extraor­dinary diversity of landscapes, cultures and experiences. The whole trek takes around 150 days to complete. On the way, trekkers walk through eight of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000m, and cross passes at an altitude up to 6,000m. Covering regions like Annapurna, Sagarmatha, Dolpa, Manaslu and Langtang, the goal is to get a new generation of trekkers excited and get them exploring Nepal.

Routes

There are two routes that the GHT trek­kers can take—the high route and the low route. The former (3,000-6,000m) pass­es through some of the most remote vil­lages and high altitude valleys of Nepal. The latter has an average altitude of 2,000m, the highest point being the Jang La pass (4,519m). Taking around 95 days to complete, trekking along it means walking through dense forests and small communities and learning about their customs and religions.

Difficulties

Completing the GHT is considered far more difficult than climbing a mountain, as it calls for a very high level of fitness and commitment. Only a few as such have completed the high route.

“You must have three things—time, money and courage—to complete the GHT,” says Nima Dawa Sherpa, a Nepali trekker who completed the high route in a record 82 day. “Not everyone has all three at once. Trekkers don’t get to see human habitats for two or three days in a row and they have to carry basic items like food and tents themselves.”

“When we crossed the trail, passes were very narrow in some places, so we could only set up one tent and as many as 11 people had to sleep in it,” says Moon Seung Young. “And there were no good signposts to guide us.”

Setback

“The concept was based on a busi­ness model specifically drafted to ben­efit Nepal’s tourism,” says Pranil Upadhayaya, a certified trail man­ager. “But as the trail passes mostly through wilderness, it couldn’t gen­erate much business. Plus, the rigor of the trek dissuaded many.”

As such, the GHT was subsequent­ly divided into a 10-part network of trails, which includes Kanchanjun­ga, Makalu-Barun, Everest-Rolwal­ing, Helambu-Langtang, Ganesh Himal-Manaslu, Annapurna and Mustang, Dolpa, Jumla, Humla and the far-west. As it takes only around two to three weeks to complete one sector, more people got interested.

Even so, Upadhayaya adds, Nepal’s trails are not up to interna­tional standards. Four basic aspects of a trail are safety, environment, boarding facilities and information in the form of signposts. Most Nepali trails lack one or more of these.

He is not pessimistic though. “For the first time, we are getting trail standard guidelines in Nepal, and under the Tourism Ministry, a trail standard community has been formed,” Upadhayaya says. “The standard of Nepal’s trails is being gradually improved with the col­laboration of various national and international bodies”