Whereas the film ‘Purna Bahadur Ko Sarangi’, released in Kartik 2081, set a different standard. This film, which earned over 46 crores in Nepal alone, did not rely on any 'superstar'. Actor Vijay Baral played the lead role in the film. Baral is the same actor who was limited to supporting characters in films before this film.

The film 'Paran', released last October, is another such film. This film, starring actors Neer Shah and Mahesh Tripathi in the lead roles, did not rely on any 'star'. According to the latest report issued by the box office, Paran has already done business of over 16 crores.

Not only 'Purna Bahadur's Sarangi' and 'Paran', films of actors with trendy faces have also been successful because the audience liked the story. When the audience did not like the story, their films have performed poorly at the box office.

After 'Face Value', producer-director

The statistics show that only a few films of the so-called 'stars' have done more than average business. But producers and directors seem ready to postpone the shooting date of the film for months just to cast popular faces in the lead roles. Other supporting actors who have been contracted for the film are suffering from this.
‘A project is signed for a period of time. As soon as it is completed, another project is promised. The first film that was supposed to be done gets pushed back due to the lack of time for the lead actor. And we lose work on the second and third projects,’ an actor shared his grief on condition of anonymity. ‘This is how we start facing financial crisis.’

Producers/directors sometimes remove contracted actors in favor of ‘star’ actors. But new actors who are about to enter the industry are hesitant to criticize such matters openly for fear of ruining their ‘careers’.

Sometimes, producers are reluctant to invest in actors who are not ‘star’ actors. A director shared his experience of being forced to change actors at the behest of investors. The director said, "If I had to withdraw from the investment saying, 'If there is no star, the film will sink,' I was forced to remove the actors who had been contracted earlier. This is why the shooting date of the film was pushed back by months.

Film director Dinesh Raut is one of the directors who likes to cast current actors. Recently, he has taken 'multi-stars' in 'Pujaar Sarki' and 'Mahabhoj'. In 'Pujaar Sarki'—Pradeep Khadka, Aryan Sigdel and Pal Shah; in 'Mahabhoj'—Dayahang Rai, Aryan Sigdel and Khagendra Lamichhane. But 'Mahabhoj' failed miserably. The film did business of less than a crore. Dinesh regretted it after the business of the film, which was produced at a huge cost with a multi-starrer, was disappointing. 'Before it went to the theater, the market had already given value. But after it reached the theater, it did not work because the audience did not like the content at that time,' says Raut.

Dinesh feels that producers are more responsible for finding a ‘star’ for the director. ‘The producer trusted the popular actor more than the director and the story. That’s why I kept casting popular faces in my films,’ says Dinesh. Dinesh says that this happens because he believes that it will be easier to promote and market an actor with a big fan base.

‘I see that the film is being made in a way that the market will trust it and that it will secure the investment and generate income,’ he adds. ‘The producer spends so much budget on the overall planning of the film, and calculates that the market will give a return when this actor is there. There is also a market other than theaters. But after it reaches the hall, the audience is not that interested in who the actor is.’

That’s why Dinesh shot the new film ‘Kumari’ this time by signing new Gen-Z actors like Abhishek Khadka and Aakriti Rajbhandari. ‘I felt that I should cast fresh faces. "What is confidence is that by bringing in a face that the audience has not seen before, you can further instill confidence," he says.

Some filmmakers, however, share their experience that it is easier to deal with the hall owner by hiring actors with 'face value'. A film director said, "There are many actors with good potential. But neither the market believes in them. Nor the hall. That is why we have to wait for face value." The director had been asking for Bipin Karki's time for a long time. When Bipin Karki seemed very busy, he turned to other options. "I myself do not have enough money for investment. If there is face value, the market believes in them. It is also easier to find investment," he said.

Hall operator and distributor Nakim Uddin says that decisions are made on the basis of films with potential during show allocation. "Recently, three films are released at a time in Nepal. If there is a known face, it can be assumed that the film has potential. But if films with fewer shows do well, the show increases," he explains.

According to him, from the perspective of the hall owner, the film is being screened for business. ‘The hall is also opened to make money. When Dayahang-Anmol’s film is released, it is felt that those films have potential. It is understood that there is a kind of business,’ he says. ‘But if the story is good, films with new faces also run. If the story is not good, films with familiar faces also run.’