Cinema After the Gen Z Movement: Debate and Current Situation

Kathmandu, October 19 (Kartik 2)

S.B. Creation Pvt. Ltd. hosted an interaction and well-wishing program during the auspicious occasion of Tihar regarding the current state of Nepali film songs and music. The program, held on Saturday in Kathmandu, featured an interaction on the topic, "The State of Film, Song, Music, and Entertainment Sectors After the Gen Z Movement."

Effect of the Gen Z Movement and Sluggish Business: Gopal Kaji Kayastha, Vice President of the Nepal Film Association and a distributor, stated that the biggest impact of the Gen Z movement, which occurred on September 8 and 9 (Bhadra 23 and 24), was felt by cinema hall operators.

He informed that the arson in five movie theaters across the country caused direct damages exceeding 20 crore rupees to the cinema hall owners. He asserted that the film market has been sluggish since the Gen Z movement, and film business during this year's Dashain was significantly lower compared to last year's Dashain.

Need for Timely Change: Senior Artist and theater personality Harihar Sharma suggested that the Gen Z generation should be included in cinema. He noted that the Nepali film industry has made a huge leap in its six-decade journey, but now films need to be made according to the times. Stating that various sectors like modeling, song, music, fashion, and beauty have also progressed alongside cinema, he suggested that these sectors also need to change with the times.

Dominance of Foreign Films and Emphasis on Originality: Krishna Malla, President of the Nepal Film Society and a veteran actor, mentioned that even with three Nepali films releasing simultaneously this Dashain, they could not perform well commercially. Indicating that the Nepali film market has slowed down somewhat after the Gen Z movement, he informed that foreign films still dominate Nepal, and an Indian film performed better during Dashain than the three Nepali films released. He emphasized the production of original Nepali films, as the market for original Nepali cinema is good.

Gen Z Audience and the Role of Parents: Janakdeep Parajuli, President of the Nepal Film Directors Guild, stated that the current Gen Z generation in the cities does not have the habit of watching Nepali films and they enjoy Hollywood and Korean cinema. Therefore, he suggested that parents should take their children to the cinema halls and instill the habit of watching Nepali films. He advised that filmmakers must now internalize the fact that the Gen Z generation seeks change not only in Nepali politics but also in cinema.

Impact on the Beautician Sector: Veteran beautician Soni Karanjit said that while the Gen Z movement affected the beautician sector in the first week, the impact has not been significant since then. Noting that the Gen Z generation is very interested in beauty, she advised beauticians to attract Gen Z towards the beauty sector.

Honors and Musical Program: After the interaction in the first session of the ceremony, a well-wishing exchange for Tihar, along with an honors and musical program, was organized. The singing of musician Om Sunar and the dance of child artist Sneha Budhathoki made the ceremony musical.

Individuals and creators who have contributed significantly to their respective fields were honored at the program. Those honored from the film sector included Producer/Director Roshani KC, Cinematographer Ramsharan Upreti, Film Director Madhavraj Kharel, Film and Photo Journalist Badri Thapa, and Singer Naresh BBC. 

Similarly, Dhaka Fashion Entrepreneur Shakumaya Limbu, Litterateur Shani Limbu, Beauticians Karuna Shrestha, Maina Shrestha, Sajana Maharjan, Nir Kamal Pradhan, Automobile Entrepreneur Megh Bahadur Budhathoki (Bidur), and Pashmina Entrepreneur Surendra Giri, among others, were honored.