The word found in the Indian dictionary is ‘prema’. It means ‘love’. The film titled ‘Prema’ has been released on this topic of love from Friday. Directed and written by Govind Singh Bhandari, who has made action films like ‘Ranveer’, the film has Subeksha Khadka, Arun Chhetri and Srishti Shrestha in lead roles. The story of the film revolves around them.
The story does justice to the name of the film. Otherwise, most of the films made in Nepal do not match the title and the story. ‘Prema’ has made the theme of love for a duration of 2 hours. Is ‘prema’, which is introduced to the ups and downs of a love relationship with a small misunderstanding, suitable for loving? Can the general audience feel connected to the film’s story and characters?
Prema (good luck) has come to Char Bhanjyang from Dhangadi to become a friend to her sister and to get a job. Kathmandu, which she has come to understand, is different. That is why her legs are cut off to step in Kathmandu. A scene she saw while getting off the bus from Kathmandu makes her more afraid. Whether walking on the streets of Kathmandu or traveling by bus, she feels unsafe.
At the same time, Prema falls in love with Akash (Arun), a stranger she sees while descending Kathmandu. Akash is convinced by Prema’s pure and simple personality. She is fascinated by Premaakash’s caring habits. However, one day a small incident puts their love in crisis. The ups and downs in their lives after that is the central conflict of the film.
However, the central conflict of the film is not clear. As the character’s goal is not clear, it has made the central conflict directionless. This is the weakness of the screenplay. There is a severe lack of effort in the screenplay. The director has spent time in establishing the character before the interval, which is quite bearable. Even though the story picks up speed after the interval, the screenplay is thin, but no scene fills the heart.
Neither Akash and Prema feel natural when love sprouts, nor does the heart sink when parting. Nor does the heart rejoice when they meet. The incident which has been made the ‘turning point’ of the story is not natural. The scene of a character carrying an Android mobile carrying a passport size photo is equally unnatural. The raucous background score does not do justice to the story and characters.
Mahesh Paudel’s cinematography, who has also filmed Indian teleserials, is average. He has shot some scenes attractively while some scenes are ‘out of focus’. Krishna Bhandari’s editing and color work is good. The view of the statue of Lord Shiva placed in the middle of Kathmandu through VFX is amazing. From this scene, Kathmandu is trying to be known as a religious place.
Arun Chhetri, who showed good potential in acting from the movie ‘Mahapurusha’, is average in ‘Prema’. As the character is not strong, its effect is also seen in his acting. However, he does not disappoint. Similarly, Shubeksha Khadka’s performance is somewhat better than in the debut film ‘Ranveer’. However, she has not been able to completely fall into the character of a girl who grew up in the environment of the Far West.
Actress Srishti Shrestha’s performance is satisfactory. However, her characterization is weak. It is not clear if she is kept to create a conflict between Akash and Prema or to be a support in Akash’s love breakup, or to pay the debt of her mistake. It seems that she was kept only for the sake of prolonging the story and making the audience ‘confused’. Even without her, the original story of the film would not have been different. Nor is her character memorable.
There are two songs in the film, ‘Man Manma and Phool Yo Chunder’. Both the songs played a role in the narration. The song ‘Man Manma’ talks about the love of Arun and Shubheksha, while the song ‘Phool Yo Chunder’ talks about love breakup. After landing in Kathmandu, Shubheksha is riding a scooter with her sister, Arun is riding a bike with his friend, Srishti and Arun are riding in a car, and the scene is shot in chrome, which is eye-catching. Those scenes did not even play a role in advancing the story.
In the world, the foundation of a love story film is made of love, betrayal, union, separation, separation and conflict. However, the style of weaving and showing it is the most important. Both these aspects are weak in ‘love’. The biggest problem of the film is that the screenplay is not strong and tight. It is difficult to please the audience who have seen one of the best love story films in the world with ‘Prema’. It’s fine for time pass.
