Kathmandu's two expensive cinemas (Jai Nepal and Kumari) were the perfect choice for us to watch Hollywood movies. This is about two decades ago. Later, Bollywood films also started shooting there.

Around 2008, something suddenly changed. Two Nepali films suddenly came to the city that year - Bhushan Dahal's 'Kagbeni' and Alok Nemwang's 'Sano Sansar'. In terms of story and presentation, those films were somewhat disruptive at that time. At that time I liked Nepali films for the first time with Prast .

Not missing a Bollywood movie, watching it as many times as possible, watching it whenever I get a chance was like my routine since completing SLC . Nepali films have never been seen when reaching the theaters where Nepali and Hindi films are shown simultaneously (be it Gopikrishna or Guna Cinema or Ashtanarayan).

instead, the Hindi film was repeated twice in the same day . The story, acting or presentation of Nepali films used to make me feel bad, but the loud and hoarse sound of the screen made me suffer more. Whether it is watching 'Darpanchaya' at Vishwajyoti Hall holding her mother's hand or going to see 'Dasdhunga' at the initiative of college, there are not many beautiful experiences, but the experiences of Nepali films were often not pleasant .

At that time, Nepali films that came daily on Shangrila channel were watched at home. After dis-antenna made it possible to watch Bollywood and Hollywood movies at home, I was not allowed to watch Nepali movies on my own again.

About 17 years ago, in the same year, Bhuvan KC-Jharna Thapa starrer 'Ma Tu Bina Marihalhu' and Viraj Bhatt-Rekha Thapa's 'Kismat' heated up the halls . Suddenly, the discussion of 'Kagbeni' started. Although I didn't understand many things at that time, since the topic of its technology and construction was coming on TV and newspapers without missing a day, I entered the hall myself by cutting a ticket.

Perhaps to increase the attraction towards the film aimed at the new generation, Nima Rumba, a famous pop singer of that time, acted in 'Kagbeni'. The famous musical group-1974 AD composed the song for the first time for the film . I was especially interested in listening to that song on the amazing sound system connected to the cinema hall.

While reviewing 'Kagbeni', journalist Kund Dixit wrote that Kagbeni is a great film even by international standards - 'Now we don't have to be ashamed of Nepali movies.' Even though it seemed very different from the Bollywood formula, somewhat dull and abstract, I was not as disappointed as before when I left the hall. Even on the big screen, the visuals were clear, when I saw something on the screen, I felt for the first time that the sound was coming from somewhere in the background.

It's the first time I've seen a vast mountain scene scaled to that level. Forgetting the film 'Formula' at once, I found the acting to be very natural in it . At that time, the two-way camera was used for the first time in a Nepali film accustomed to celluloid through 'Kagbeni'.

As 'small world' followed the same rhythm and Namrata Shrestha, Karma, Vinay Shrestha suddenly stayed in my mind . In terms of story, that movie was different from 'Kagbeni'. That film was colorful and light. The songs of the film were different from the popular style of pop. These seemingly normal things were important to me. There was nothing that could not be done in the previous celluloid, including story and presentation, which were used in 'Sano Sansar'. However, the pallor that was always felt while watching Nepali films was not present in this film.

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With the beginning of this century, digital film production has started in both Hollywood and Bollywood. When technology changed in India, where hundreds of films are made every year, initially only the technical aspect changed . In other words, although the film projection is done through digital means, most of the production is done in celluloid .

However, in Nepal, the change in technology has become a mode of change in the form of the film itself. Here, people like Bhushan Dahal (film – Kagbeni) or Alok Nemwang (film – Sano Sansar), who were known for making music videos before that, entered the film and it became a new technique and style of story with them. For that reason, digital cinema cannot be seen only in connection with technology . It should be understood as a change in the taste of the movie with the help of it. The transition of

film technology at that time between celluloid and digital film was a conceptual divide in the art world. Films made in digital were not considered feature films by traditional style filmmakers. Some people considered it as an extended form of music video, while others considered it as a documentary or a serial, which could not be denied in the environment of the time, which seems to be becoming natural now.

author and seasoned filmmaker Prakash Sayami sees digital transformation as more about quality of artistry than technology. He says that after the ease of making digital cinema, the dependence on the technical side has increased and many of the beauty of the production has died. Even if that is true, 'nostalgia' may be more in front of the benefits given by technology .

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What was the time of celluloid, producers could not breathe a sigh of relief until their films were released. At that time, celluloid prints were sent separately by city. Because it was very expensive, they were displayed in several cinema halls from the same print . The bicycle/motorcycle boys carrying the small print boxes on the reel during the performance were in an important role .

A box contained several reels of 12 to 15 minutes of film . As soon as the reel was used, it had to be carried to the next hall at war level. For example, Gopikrishna in Chabahil used to have clocks at 8, 11, 2 and 5 o'clock, while Ashtanarayan at Machhapokhari, which is relatively close to it, clocks were at 9, 12, 3 and 6 o'clock. Gwarko's Guna and Bhaktapur's Barahi Hall would adjust the same time, while the hall with the same curtain would adjust itself in between.

sometimes got stuck in an unexpected jam or trap, on the other hand, the film stopped . In the event that it causes sloganeering in the hall to vandalism, the producer should have paid the compensation. I myself have become a witness of such events a few times . A similar situation occurred while watching a Hindi film and the last 20 minutes of the film could not be completed . And, Barahi Hall sent us home by refunding the ticket money . Let's not talk about the hooting and shouting when the picture disappears on the screen .

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In Nepal, even a decade and a half ago, films were shot on 16 mm cameras and projected on 35 mm screens. The quality of the scene started to decrease from there . Then, the more those reels were exposed, the lower the quality. That technology was the same. Filmmaker Ashok Sharma, the founder of Digital Cinema Nepal

(DCM), which has played a very important role in leading the Nepali cinema world to digital, said about the scene after the reel was unrolled, 'That colorful dress would become pale as if it had been unrolled after wearing and washing it a lot.' At that time, a standard to get an idea of ​​which city was inaccessible could be found by looking at the old movies playing in the theaters there .

Shot on a 16mm negative and shown in 16mm, it would only be visible on a small part of the screen, so when the film was delivered to the theater, it would be blown up using a cinemascope lens and displayed on a 35mm big screen. Foreign films of that time were almost all coming to CinemaScope, so their quality was relatively good. Sakas Sharma still remembers

Nepali movies when they were forced to be shown for the same screen. ``In our films, there was mono sound, while in foreign films, Dolby . A movie is an audio visual . And, when both of us are weak, they are making comments that the quality of Nepali films is not good,'' said Sharma, 'Why don't the audience say that when watching a Nepali film and watching a foreign film in the same hall?' While in digital, it was easy to keep 'Five Point One Surround Sound' which can be echoed from all sides as needed . That's why digital technology has changed the identity of Nepali movies and given an opportunity for revival, the filmmakers who worked in the same traditional technology think.

Bollywood's all-time blockbuster 'Sholay' was initially produced in four prints and released in three cities. Digital technology also started to be used in Bollywood around 2004-05. Even in Hollywood, it is believed that the old order was broken in 2002 with "Star Wars". In that sense, the leap made by Nepal around 2008 cannot be called too late. As

went digital, a hard disk started arriving in a hall instead of a box of reels. For the past few years, it is now possible to show movies on thousands of screens around the world through servers . The film can be displayed by logging into a certain virtual space, just like we log into Facebook or X's account.

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When shooting on celluloid, Bombay Run started from dubbing after shooting and editing in Nepal. Due to the lack of 'full length' dubbing facilities in Nepal according to that technology, it was necessary to carry the actors along with the hero and heroine to India at that time . "Rock and roll" dubbing was not possible in Nepal by watching the scenes of the edited film . While listening to the audio during the shooting in Nepal, when many chose the option of dubbing, it seemed that the audio-visual harmony did not match . It was not unusual for those who had a taste of Bollywood and Hollywood in close shots to be uncomfortable . That's why dialogues like reciting a paragraph directly rather than matching the visuals and expressions were seen in old Nepali films. After having to go to India for

montage printing to background score, even though there are facilities in Nepal, everything from posters to additional prints are printed and brought there. After all, there is a history of many films being edited in India.

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When Nepalis are spreading all over the world, the weapon that connects them is 'local'. In the span of a few years now, the diaspora has become one of the main areas that have given Nepali films a lot of discussion and courage. Ashok Sharma says that there was opposition in Nepal after bringing the facility of paying royalty without buying the technology from a digital cinema distribution company called UFO.

Nepali film sector is still considered to be suffering from the influence of foreign films more than its weaknesses. At that time, Sharma remembers that the news of UFOs brought a big shock to the cinema world. He says, "That would promote more foreign films, more Hindi films would be released all over the country". There was concern that Nepali films would become worse.'

However, at that time, another group was arguing that if foreign films were stopped, Nepali films would not run, but the more foreign films came, the more Nepali films would be competitive. Many filmmakers have experienced that 'fierce politics' has entered the film industry due to that controversy. In that politics, both parties did not agree. Though

was forced, Sharma and others tried to make it popular among filmmakers by bringing digital cinema distribution technology. However, on the other hand, Bollywood films took the benefit of the technology that has come in since they are not making digital films. Not only did Nepali films fall under the shadow of Bollywood, they benefited from it.

In the meantime, another interesting option was also thought of - to make the film in celluloid but convert it to digital and bring it to the exhibition! Unfortunately, there was no option to reach Bombay for that too . And, those who brought the technology of distribution brought in the tools needed for editing, from digital cameras to 'make the atmosphere of film production'. No matter what politics was going on in the country, the impression of the Internet was growing at an unimaginable speed, technology was coming in the same way in the world and in Nepal, it became a situation where we had to go digital for survival.

Established in 2007, DCN has an indirect investment in Kagbeni. Because it is produced by the owners of QFX Cinemas – Nakeem Udin, Rajesh Siddhi and Bhaskar Dhungana. They are also the founders of DCN. They also made a 'small world'. Projection and cinema servers were made available in installments by DCN as the theater owners as much as the

film makers were reluctant to adopt the new technology. Like DCN, Cube Network is now also in use as a digital cinema network.

Its activists believe that the story of Nepal, which has been almost completely transformed a decade ago, is a rare one in the world. "Even in Hollywood and Bollywood, even though the post-production was done digitally, the work of making movies was still going on in celluloid," says Ashok Sharma. The human nature of adopting new technology and not trying to get out of the old thing is seen all over the world during this transformation.

As the conflict between digital and celluloid continued, the 'loot' of 2012 changed a lot of things . The film made in digital technology broke many standards at that time. The film, which became a 'blockbuster' with an emerging cast and brand new director, was able to make the most of the digital distribution network .

While Nepali films and multiplexes are not well connected, 'Loot' probably brought tens of thousands of new generations to multiplexes to watch Nepali films for the first time. The 'loot' craze was seen in the Bollywood films 'Dhoom Two', 'Krrish' and 'Don' released in 2006. I remember that the film was reflected not only in the line of the audience outside the hall, but also the ticket and training inside the hall.