Highway is a reflecting mirror of the society - Gaurav Kandel

Highway is a reflecting mirror of the society - Gaurav Kandel


On my trip on HIGHWAY

              08 July 2012, one of such important days of my life as one of my priority watch list movie HIGHWAY was publicly being screened for the first time through Gari Khana Deu's Charity show. It was always as different as i had heard a lot from others who watched Highway in 62nd Berlin International Film Festival where Highway was one of the 27 films nominated on the Panorma section of Best First Feature Award. Being only one of the South Asian movies to be screened at such prestigious film festival along with that all in all 5 screenings that went all full of crowded people and as Mita Hosali- one of the Executive Producer, just shared on one such interaction that even she and Deepak Rauniyar- Director and Producer , were not able to watch in the first two screenings. It was even hard for them to get into one of the other screenings to watch Highway that they had worked a lot on but for sure public is on their priority as its made for them. This had made me more jealous about watching Highway and not just that also several other facts that would make me go on writing and could take me some more hours so i am stopping my facts here itself. 

                Bandhs always have wonderful and great memories in my life ( a big shock might be in many ) but indeed its true as some turning points in my life has happened through bandhs. But, for sure Bandhs aren't on any one's favorite event's though. Highway is all about our life that takes us from various stages and phases of our life. As we say LIFE is a JOURNEY and i reflect that with Highway. A great effort made Dilip Gurung and his team at Gari Khana Deu to make the Charity show a successful one. All i could see is "EXCITED Audience" all around me. before i entered the theatre. As on my earlier post - Highway takes its LEAD - Ride in with them at 1st Charity Show,  i had shared about how Highway has come to this end and why this charity show was important for Highway and Gari Khana Deu. I hope everyone loved it and so did the readers increasing in hundred's at my post stats and it still is . For sure, ones who loved it might have shared it and if not come on you need to share it now.

Travelling with everyone on the RED SEAT

             Have you ever imagined of travelling in a 'Red Seat' in your life so far ? I experienced it today. On my way with Aadi Travels ticket on my hand i got seated at one of the corner, all excited for my trip and this was all i felt and experienced in a closed room with many others in the theater. The wheels than the "11 number" (many who walk a lot might have guessed it) of one of the characters had just took a move excited to............ umm have a look at the movie as this one makes you excited and you might have surely predicted who i have been all talking about so far if you had watched the trailer. Before the wide glassed and light grey and white colored Aadi Travel's bus had taken a move starting from the edge of the borders of Nepal linked with the Indian Border "Illam" the movie portray's the characters later travelling in the bus. With all interesting and amazing characters Eelum Dixit as Pratiek , Dayahang Rai as Manoj , Shristi Ghimire as Pooja, Bhumika Shrestha as Deena and others traveled in the bus all on Bus Driver - Rajan Khatiwada's steering from Illam to Kathmandu. Now, all i can say what gossips had happened with in the bus and what made these characters go deeper into their life's with their partners is only if you watch the movie. Also, one's in the internet world can see an actual story happening around in Nepal of what really makes one bond with other, the true fact for sure which can only be clear after you buy a ticket to watch Highway. Highway as i feel is not the occurence of Bandhs in reality but also Bandhs in our life's. The hurdle and obstacle and those challenges which narrow our days go depressing or sadenning and a time or a blink that comes or would say the angel and devil in our mind has always made our lives take u-turns like that in a Highway with all bumpy and dusty road. But for sure, there is a life that we rarely are seeing among ourselves that is pleasant and is smooth as the evergreen Highway with all cool breeze that always bring a new you with you. Yes!, that is what i can find in my experience of  more than an hour trip travelling that red seat.

                      A review is indeed not needed for anyone of us reading here because some might wouldn't prefer it or some might have already read it after its first screening in Berlin. You can just trust and watch the movie as for sure it has not simply met to one of the top categorized film festivals. In my words i would say, "Highway is a reflecting mirror of the society "

                     While, i was there i grabbed the opportunity to take responses  and feedback of Highway along with their experience of a 'Bandh' including Anil Kesary Shah - CEO of Mega Bank , Prabhas Pokhrel- Systems Designer - Columbia University Earth Institute, Dilip Gurung- Campaign Coordinator of Gari Khana Deu, Prabin Raj Pokharel - CEO of F1Soft InternationalShiwani Neupane - Student at Columbia University and also Rabindra Mishra on his recent experience on Highway from "the world of microphone to the world of camera " . You can watch it soon till then wait for it :)



SNAP SHOTS of THE CHARITY SHOW of HIGHWAY by GARI KHANA DEU

Photo Coutesy : Highway

Click the image to Enlarge or view it Full Screen

                  

          


  

  
         
        
        
        

      

       
       
      
     


Your answer's on Director's words 

                    For all Nepali and international audience, this was indeed a need i felt  that the audience will have a query on and so have extracted from the Highway's Kickstarter Project that made them collect $33,647 in total all supported by 240 people (as Backers)

What’s the story? 



Set against the backdrop of the new “culture” of organizing bandhs (general strikes) in post-conflict Nepal, HIGHWAY explores five different relationship stories that become connected during an ill-fated bus journey from eastern Nepal to the capital, Kathmandu. When the passengers discover that sometimes wedding parties are permitted through the massive traffic jams caused by bandhs, they devise a plan to stage a fake wedding.


Will the wedding drama help them get through the dangerous bandhs? Some characters are hindered directly by the strike on the road, but every character is affected by it. Their lives are put on hold by circumstances that they have no control over. All they can do is wait, hope for the best, and try to make the best decisions given the circumstances. How will they succeed in fulfilling their goals, and how will their dreams change in a world full of strikes and stoppages where nothing happens as it should?


What inspired HIGHWAY?


In 2009, I happened to do a road trip from east Nepal to the capital, Kathmandu. Our journey was obstructed by three different bandhs, organized by three different groups in three different parts of the country. This is when my colleagues Kedar Sharma and Khagendra Lamichhane and I started talking about the idea for this film, HIGHWAY.  I felt that by setting a story against the backdrop of this new bandh culture, I would not only be able to explore physical bandhs, but also explore the mental/psychological bandhs that many of us seem to be facing these days. 


Why did you want to make films?


Filmmaking has never been just another profession for me. I have come to make films with an objective. When I first assisted Tsering Rhitar Sherpa for his feature KARMA in 2005, I was working as an editor in a national daily newspaper for the arts page. I often had arguments with filmmakers who furiously called about the bad reviews their films got, as they normally were bad copies of Hindi films. These conversations often ended with them challenging me to make films myself. So I started to get interested in filmmaking. My first and second attempt at making a film on an original subject with a unique style were the shorts CHAUKAITH (Threshold) and POOJA, which earned me some success and encouraged me to make a feature film. I want to contribute to creating a legacy of Nepali films without blindly following or copying Bollywood or other industries.  I hope HIGHWAY is a good start.

Some Snap shots of the movie 

As i haven't shared you a review of Highway and have just stopped in the beginning itself so that you just move in the theater to watch it, here are some snap shots that the Highway team took when they were shooting the movie. While, the trailer already has many hints for sure to make yourself ease drive in to run and just kick start to watch 

HIGHWAY on JULY 20, 2012 | साउन ५ गते, २०६९

Source: Highway  Photo Courtesy : Neil Dixit

Eelum "Pratiek" and Shristi "Pooja" acting as if the bridegroom and bride.
Watch the movie to find it out why they predict to be as each other's partners. HINT - Trailer

Asha Magarati "Radhika" getting tensed on one of the scenes
Watch the movie to find it out what makes Radhika get tensed. It's surely something special. HINT- Trailer

Karma "Aviral" on the facial at Tranqulity Spa.
Watch the movie to find it out who is doing the facial for him in the Spa. HINT - Trailer

Gaurav Kandel, loves writing on several issues and this time makes him travel with the upcoming movie Highway. All he says is after watching it that its really Sweet and you won't be on an illusion whether its Sweet, Sour or Bitter  but yes its just you experience it at it's screenings.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I studied in Sikkim and Darjeeling when I was a kid.Strikes were common there as well. The Gorkha land supporters used to block the Indian National Highway a lot. Also, there were some communist movements always going around in Siliguri.
So,sometimes we would be forced to enter Nepal via Pashupati-Fikkal border and catch a bus to Kathmandu.
One winter, when we were on a bus from Pashupati to Kathmandu, we experienced something similar. There is a place called "Charali" near Birtamod. That place was completely blocked by Bhutanese Refuges or Dhimal people. Can't exactly remember vividly as that was one of the few opportunities that I got to travel with my friends and I was highly intoxicated. So, we got stuck in that place for more than 24 hrs. After that, we got stuck again at the place called Lahan because a bus ran over a kid.Long story short. I took us 5 freaking days to reach Kathmandu from Pashupati.Those days we did not have cell phones, imagine how worried our parents were.Also, we finished all our money in alcohol.So we had to survive in Wai-Wais.:).
When I read your blog, I felt nostalgic about those times. I am more excited to watch Highway.
-Bibek

View Your Choice said...

Also, read my previous article on Highway

Highway takes its LEAD - Ride in with them at 1st Charity Show

http://viewyourchoice.blogspot.com/2012/07/highway-takes-its-lead-ride-in-with.html

Anonymous said...

With such a strong plot of current situation of our country and strong cast like Elum Dixit,Dayahang dai iam sure dat the movie's gonna shine!!!N kudos to Mr Gaurav Kandel for d article..Keep up d good work!Jay Nepal..
Avinash

Anonymous said...

With such a strong plot of current situation of our country and strong cast like Elum Dixit,Dayahang dai iam sure dat the movie's gonna shine!!!N kudos to Mr Gaurav Kandel for d article..Keep up d good work!Jay Nepal..
Avinash

rajankathet said...

thanks for sharing Gaurav.... I enjoyed reading it. :-)

Ken Subedi said...

collected great information and summary about Highway...the writer is a very good analyst...

neeti said...

wonderfully written Gaurav, u have created interest witnin me to watch that movie. keep us updating about different topics
-neeti

neeti said...

wonderfully written gaurav, u have indeed created interest within me to watch dat movie.keep us updatin about different topics.

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