Kohi…mero

My writer friend (Prawin Adhikari), who penned the story and wrote the screenplay as well, got forty of us (mates from school, writer fraternity and their pluses and plus’s pluses) to an evening screening of Kohi… mero yesterday. I did recall some bits of the story from last year in September, when he narrated it as he kept me company in the hospital. I was eagerly looking forward to watching this movie.

I and a few others arrived just in time to cheer Prawin as the opening credits rolled in. I would have whistled out loud, but this is a skill I have yet to master.

Fun, frolic and comic relief spanned the first half of this movie. We were cracking up laughing our hearts out as some of the scenes unfolded. The brilliantly orchestrated song sequences shot in picturesque backdrops in Chitwan, Jomson and Pokhara worked their magic in tandem. I did find the larger than life flower-prints on Aryan Sigdel’s shirt very cheesy. Perhaps the director was just being true to his Kollywood calling.

Some (moi included), let out some feigned ooh and aah’s as the actors drenched themselves in the rain. We had ourselves even counting the number of occurrences of the “wet dance” (read dancing in the rain) which the director seems to have skilfully weaved into each song.

The second half was significantly heavier and did have the characters engage in lengths of serious dialogues. There were a few smart alecks in the rows behind me, who did ruin some of the moments with their constant bantering, but nonetheless I had an enjoyable experience throughout and so did most of the people in the audience.

The cast was nothing short of brilliant. Jharana Bajracharya delivered her lines with flair and finesse. My second viewing of Aryan after First love, and I found him to possess skills of a very seasoned actor. His soliloquy is one to look out for. Sanchita’s lines (the ones in English) could have had a do-over but her performance throughout was also noteworthy. Subash Thapa, (a theatre veteran as I was told) was equally brilliant. He snugly fit the role of the typical best buddy cum unrequited lover, who the girl high fives before gracefully moving onto peck her boyfriend’s cheek. Some commented that his somewhat effeminate voice was a let down for such a muscular build. I, however found his demeanour and voice was suitably toned for the character envisioned and even provided comic relief at times.

A definite recommend for movie goers, Kohi .. mero is a respectable production from Kollywood. Hats off to Prawin for conjuring up such a brilliantly “mushy” love story and Alok for bringing it onto the silver screen. I gather girls will be swooning to Aryan’s character while guys who’d never make the rockstar cut will identify with Subhash’s.

Some dialogues that really got my attention,

Mardako chhoroko bhok kahilei mettina! Bujhis? (A man never stops lusting) 

K dui jana chakhewa ko jodi jasto kuna ma basera chocho-mocho chocho-mocho gari rakehko? (I will leave it to your imagination)

JA..TEI SANGA BIHE GAR .. ani MAR (GO! MARRY HIM… and die!)

Other recollections from the night in question

I do remember a female pharang (read Caucasian) voice call out loud “WHAT?” when Jharana’s character offered to clear away Aryan’s whiskey glass. The “WHAT” may have had some feminist undertones, but I could be wrong.

The scrawny bandage on Sanchita’s head blotted red with tincture of iodine (supposedly) in the hospital scene was a let-down. We were led to believe that she survived a car accident which involved a head-on collision with a truck. A scene with a defibrillator, or even an oxygen mask could have added so much more angst and drama. The car accident could have also done with a do-over. 😀

Visit the official website or official Facebook page for more.

Movie details:
Story: Alok Nembang, Prawin Adhikari
Screenplay: Prawin Adhikari
Cast: Jharana Bajracharya, Sanchita Luitel, Aryan Sigdel, Tripti Nadkar, Dinesh Sharma, Introducing Subash Thapa.
Director: ALOK NEMBANG