The country is currently engaged in elections. However, this election is not just a game of changing power, but also a decisive moment for the trust of the people, the capacity of the state, and the direction in which the country's future will be taken. In the eyes of a film director, Nepal currently looks like a movie playing in the theater, where the election campaign has become the 'trailer' and the voters are the 'jury'. However, the story of the country is returning to the same old scene, the same scene is being repeated again and again.

I am a film director, so my job is to create a story and convey it to the audience through visuals. When a story is told, many people may think of the storyteller's imagination, the characters he creates, the dialogues they speak, and the ending at a certain point. However, when you look closely at Nepal, sometimes you feel that our country itself is a movie, where reality is moving faster than the script, and silence is heavier than dialogue. There, scenes are repeated so much that we are filming the same scene in different locations with different cameras.

No matter what the situation, the country is still moving towards elections. We consider it an inevitable triumph of democracy, even a festival. However, elections are not just a festival, they are also the national premiere of the country. At the premiere, the audience watches the film, evaluates it, and it plays an important role in determining the direction of the future. The same thing happens in elections because the people are not just spectators but also the decisive force. The question of elections is not only who wins and who loses. The deeper question is - what turn will Nepal's story take now? And, how to make that story credible and universally accepted?

Campaign trailer and silence of responsibility

After the election season begins, the pace of campaigning in Nepal reaches a very high level. The conflict of accusations and counter-accusations, slogans, songs, flags, speeches all combine to form a long trailer. And social media becomes a big screen and becomes the decider of hits and flops even before the election film starts. However, the problem is not only here - there is a lot of dialogue in the campaign, but the meaning is getting weaker. Words are loud but accountability is weak, accusations and conflicts are abundant but there is no responsibility except for passion. Countless dreams are sold on stage, but those dreams are not translated into real life, they remain just dreams. Then only one question remains in the mind of the citizen - is this dialogue or just a display of words? And, from here our politics becomes weak, despair arises among the citizen and it creates passion. 

In a beautiful film, the trailer carries the story. However, in our election films, the promotional trailer does not tell the story, it covers it, and the covered story does not last long. The reality is exposed before the film ends.

Sometimes outside influences inspire Nepali films, sometimes market pressure distorts the story. Similarly, our elections and state structures are sometimes influenced and shadowed by invisible forces.

Weak set, weak trust

The director strengthens the set before making the film. He does special homework on the script, team, location, design, props, light, camera, sound, actors, management, etc. Accordingly, he decides how to move the story forward. In a democracy, the ‘set’ is the structures of the state. Such as the system that serves the people, the law enforcement unit, the judiciary, the administrative system, economic stability, etc. However, when all these structures are weak, then no matter how big the speeches are, no matter how many bundles of assurances are distributed, the results are pale, the country remains stuck in the same old scenario. That is why it seems like a policy has been made, but there is no feeling of implementation. The rules seem to be written, but justice is never served on time, there is a law but it is not implemented. The blame is seen but the punishment is uncertain.

Who is in charge of our screenplay?

The election-like screen is colorful. The characters are many—superstar leaders, new leaders, emerging leaders, leaders with potential, countless workers who follow them, parties, opposition, civil society, journalists, etc. Behind the scenes, there is the administration as a technical team. However, real power is still limited to the politics of networks and access.

Many decisions made here are not made by policies and principles, but by relationships and equations. That is why relatives get opportunities rather than the qualified. And suspicion, hatred and malice are born in the minds of citizens. And the question arises—do the people decide to run the country or is it an invisible force within a limited circle? Therefore, until this question is answered, celebrating elections as a 'festival' will weaken democracy instead of strengthening it.

Voters are tired of such scenes. This fatigue is not only mental, but also economic and social. Citizens have listened a lot, hoped a lot and been deceived many times. Now let the same story not be repeated, let trust be respected. Just as the audience gets up from their seats in the hall after being disappointed by a movie, similarly, voters who are disappointed by politics are also getting up now. 

Nepal's middle class is the decisive force in both movies and elections and is also the backbone of society. However, today, the middle class is under the most pressure and pain. It is worried about high prices, debt, job uncertainty, family responsibilities and future. In such a situation, the 'emotional speech' of leaders is overwhelming. Then? Country-reform comes later. And, the election screenplay is in the hands of the people.

Us outside the frame, the country inside the frame

For Nepalese like me living abroad, the upcoming elections in Nepal are not distant news, they are the future of our own home. Everyone has the desire to build a country. Another question also bothers expatriate Nepalis - will the rules apply after returning to the country or will the same access apply? Many people know the inside stories of issues like justice, violence, impunity, and class inequality, but no one tells the screenplay. If the truth is not told, the wound does not heal, it is only covered up. And, that covered wound will one day return as a great thunderbolt.

There is another question in the election season – aren’t we running away from problems in the name of reform? Because we don’t need a new poster, but a new screenplay. The solution to the problem is not just a new face, but a new structure. This is what I have learned as a director – changing the cast is not enough to improve the film, the process of filmmaking itself must be improved. Nepal’s politics is the same. Changing the face alone does not change the story. We need an environment where the law is enforced. An end to impunity, continuity in policies, economic opportunities, employment, citizen-friendly services, and institutional accountability are necessary. The foundation of a country’s functioning is institutional trust. 

Therefore, the real director of this election film is the people. This truth must be proven time and again by elections.

The country’s decisive editing election