Deepak Rauniyar on his film:an interview

‘Threshold’ is the first film by a Nepali director to be screened in the ‘Short Film Corner’of the ‘Non-competitive category’ at the ‘Cannes Film Festival’. The film was the third prize winner in the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival 2008. It was also selected for the ‘Phuket Film Festival’ to be held in Thailand in june. Recently it won accolades in the Ahemdabad Film festival held in India and was also screened at Kumari Hall.
The director of the film is –Deepak Rauniyar. Here are excerpts from the interview taken by me before he left for France(almost two months ago).

What attracted you to films in the first place?
It was in 2047 B.S that I came to Kathmandu. Before, I used to work in Biratnagar in Radio Nepal. In kathmandu I worked in a number of print media like Nepal Samacharpatra, Himal and Kantipur. During that time I met a lot of Nepali film directors and got a chance to critique their work. There would always be discussions with directors and they challenged us to make films and show them.
That was how my seniors like Nabin Subba got into films and how I did too.

Do you remember the first film you saw?
No I don’t. But I remember when I was small there were no cinema halls in my village and televisions were rare. Only a few people owned television sets. They used to charge us two rupees to watch programs. We used to walk miles to watch World Cup matches on television at neighboring villages.
I however remember my first cinematic experience maybe I studied in grade eight. It was to watch ‘Shehansa’. We bought the lowest priced tickets and got the front row seats. We had to tilt out heads completely to watch the film. Amitabh Bacchan looked even more magnificent with his chain and hairstyle. The movie now as I remember seems to have been inspired from Spiderman. During the day the protagonist is a shy village boy but at night he turns into a superhero.

Which Nepali film directors do you admire?
I have worked with Nabin Subba and Tshering Rhitar Sherpa and admire their work. I also like Tulsi Ghimires detailing and use of Nepali sentiments in his films.

You have worked in print media, visual media and now you are working as senior editor and producer for ‘Katha Mitho Sarangi ko’? Which medium do you find the most effective?
Well, film is the most effective medium but radio is the pathway to awareness. Print landed me into films and now radio is helping me make films. It is teaching me how to make characters work.This visit to the Cannes will further add an expense of one to two lakhs. I don’t know where it will come from? My job is financially supporting my career as a film maker.

What scope do you see for short film making in Nepal?
The trend of short film making has increased in the last ten years since the introduction of digital technology. Film fests like KIMFF have further promoted this trend. The last KIMFF had participation of numerous short films. It will surely increase in the upcoming years.

How did you choose the issue of ‘women empowerment ‘ for you film?
Well, Saraswati was partly a character known to us. It had depth and we wanted to portray it on screen. The film is basically about freedom. It’s about power play. We are now moving from ‘Loktantra’ to ‘Ganatantra’ but is their freedom? Every political party has centralized power. Can Narahari Acharya do what he wants to in the party? Gangan Thapa is a popular, charismatic young leader but Girija Prasad Koirala holds the supreme power. In every house there is an authority that holds power while others remain powerless.

Where did you shoot the film?
We shot the film in a village called Gaumadi, forty five minutes drive to the east from Janakpur.

How long did it take?
It took us five days and a budget of less than two lakhs. Well, the homework had been going on for a long time.

Why has the film not been released in commercial cinema halls?
KIMFF has showcased the film in nine different places of Nepal.In case of commercial cinema halls; they are not designed to show short films, only films of three hours length. Besides to commercially release the film you need to pay eighteen thousand rupees and censor it. We are not in support of censorship and it isn’t economically viable too. In the film, three actors acted without pay voluntarily and one camera we used was from my workplace (BBC World Service Trust).

Your film is based on a social issue. Has it ever been accused of selling poverty and empowerment related issues like the recent hit ‘Slumdog Millionaire’?
Firstly, I don’t think Slumdog Millionaire was trying to sell poverty. It frames questions to a poor character and displays the unlikeliest of the situation. In fact it gives a hard blow to the attitude of rich people. It shows how no one believes a poor mans story. It’s more about the rich than the poor.
People have questioned elements in my film but I have not faced any such acquisition. KIMFF had to screen ‘Threshold’ several times in almost all venues due to public demand. Some audiences see no problem with women being confined inside their homes and men earning bread for their family. They don’t understand why this should change? Usually after the screening we have had men defending this idea and women claiming the opposite. I also remember a unique reaction from a girl in Janakpur. I was struck by how oversensitivity had also caught up with films. She questioned –” why Trishna- the character from the city was a Pahadi and not a Madhesi woman? Weren’t Madhesi women educated and employed?” I went up to her and explained “A Madhesi character would be familiar with the settings of village life and she wouldn’t be surprised when Saraswati would act frightened at the entry of any outsider to her home”. She was satisfied by my answer.

What are your expectations from the Cannes Film Festival?
We are happy to have been selected. The last time Nepal got recognition in Cannes was a decade ago through ‘Caravan’. Short films are basically visiting cards. They are a way to test your film making skills- we have basically done that. We are thrilled to be representing Nepal in Cannes. It’s a great opportunity to watch good films, meet world famous directors, distributors and build your network. We are also holding a separate screening for the Nepalese community in Paris. We will also be pitching our story in the event organized by the Short Film Corner, which is hosted by Short T.V and broadcasted by three television stations.
It’s not enough to make good films, you need someone to lobby for you, market your films. Take an example of British Council, how effectively it lobbies for British films. In Nepal we don’t have any such institution. We will try to create as much exposure as possible in the Cannes.

Your film has also been selected for the Phuket Film Festival to be held in June in Thailand. Any hope of winning?
Well, we don’t harvest such false expectations. Our selection is the big deal. It’s the only Nepali film to be selected so far. It will be the biggest surprise if we win.
We are only seeking recognition for Nepali films. If an Iranian film is being screened in a film fest everyone awaits its screening, why? because Iranian films have already made a market for themselves. No one knows about Nepali films. We will try to create as much exposure as possible. So that our next film is awaited by an audience and any other Nepali film can benefit from the exposure we create.