Kathmandu, Sept 12: The Bhotekoshi flood has had a direct and indirect impact on Nepal’s film industry, affecting both release schedules and box office earnings.
It is difficult to measure exactly how much the disaster affected individual films because box office performance cannot be predicted with certainty. Still, the flood clearly affected cinema attendance. The backlash faced by the team behind Parvati was one indication.
Although the producers announced that their entire first day share would be donated to flood victims, the film team faced heavy criticism on social media for releasing a movie amid the disaster. The producers eventually deposited Rs 1.1 million from their first-day share into the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. Yet the criticism continued, suggesting that many audiences were not ready to return to cinemas amid the fear and grief caused by the flood.
The experience prompted several films scheduled for release in Bhadra to postpone their dates. Ka Ka Ki Ki, originally scheduled for Bhadra 19, has been pushed back to Mangsir 11. Ba: Ek Yoddha, also scheduled for Bhadra 19, will now release on Asoj 9. Maya Bhane Ko Yastai Hola, planned for Bhadra 26, has been moved to Kartik 20. Akshara has also postponed its release, citing the prevailing situation.
Several film teams have also pledged portions of their earnings to flood relief. Akshara announced that 10 per cent of the producers’ share would go towards relief and rehabilitation, while Behuli pledged five per cent. Actors have also made individual contributions.
Postponing a film close to its release date creates major financial and logistical problems. Producers have already spent heavily on publicity, while actors have completed interviews, promotional tours and other activities. A new release date requires another publicity campaign, often at a time when actors have already moved on to other projects.
Director Sudip Bhupal Singh said a film’s release depends on distributors, exhibitors, marketing teams, media and audiences. Repeating the same promotional effort is difficult after everyone has already invested time and money once.
Director Baliram Chauhan said postponement also creates financial and practical problems. Actors may not have time for a second promotional campaign, while media outlets may struggle to run the same content again. Producers may then have to rely heavily on social media and spend substantially more on promotion.
Nepal already has more films than the market can absorb, Singh said, making it even harder for postponed films to secure suitable release dates and rebuild the same level of interest.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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