Arjun Karki is a man with a different hat. He is a producer, editor, colourist, and photographer. Among all his traits, he is well known as a producer as he holds experience in producing super hit movies such as Kabaddi, Kabaddi Kabaddi, Kabaddi Kabaddi Kabaddi, Kabaddi 4: The Final Match, Pashupati Prasad, Purano Dunga, Ghampani and others.
With that, Arjun Karki is also a Pame Film Festival director.
Recently, Karki caught up with Onlinekhabar and talked about his journey in the Nepali film industry as a producer.
Excerpt:
How did you get into producing films?
I started my career in the film industry by handling the overall management of the Loot, directed by Nischal Basnet. It’s a movie that created a revolution in the Nepali film industry as it was entirely different from conventional Nepali films.
Over time I met Ram Babu Gurung. He was looking for a producer for his movie Kabaddi, which was earlier entitled Visiting Card. I read the script of the movie and reworked it. Gradually, I started doing financial deals for the movie. Moreover, photography, capturing behind the scenes and also got involved in editing the film.
What inspired you to continuously produce films?
I want to keep knowledge of everything related to film. In this context, I also took a filmmaking workshop. As I knew various things, concerning filmmaking. I build the ability to distinguish good and bad films. Thus, it motivated me to produce more films.
How did you choose the film?
I got fascinated with local ideas and context, and I chose the film accordingly. Stories about Nepali culture and art intrigue me. I should not make or focus on making movies that are being made in Hollywood. There are already a lot of people for that. I give more priority to local Nepali content or stories that would resemble contemporary situations. For instance, Pashupati Prasad shows the hustle and bustle of a local place like Pashupati, Purano Dunga shows the struggle of a character who earns for the family by piloting the boat and Ghampani shows the struggle of intercaste marriage which is still largely prevalent in a Nepali society.
You also have experience of producing sequel films, can you tell us how different is it to produce sequel movies than the other regular movies?
It is relatively easy to work with sequel films because the film already has goodwill. Sequel movies are less risky to produce and there is always a high chance to earn a high profit margin. We do not need to do much marketing for such films. However, such films must have consistency in their quality.
Could you tell us what kind of movies are becoming commercially successful in Nepal?
In my view, the films that have showcased contemporary situations and local art and culture have become successful commercially. For instance, Jari is a culture-based movie, that tells about a culture that is known to fewer people. Loot depicts the struggle of simple people in their daily life.
What are the Challenges of Nepali Producers?
The major challenge is a financial conflict between the filmmaker and the hall distributor. Another major challenge is the budget for Nepali films is increasing significantly but the number of audiences is not.
Is there any message for aspiring producers?
Research as much as you can. Many people tend to become producers because they see the gross collection of the movie but ignore the fact of what it takes to reach there; many things producing films is an easy money-making job, which is entirely wrong.
I suggest the aspiring producer see the track record of the director in whose films you are working.
For filmmakers, especially young ones, it is always difficult to find producers. So in this regard, how can young filmmakers reach out to you?
They can reach out to me easily through social media or my other contacts. Another best way to reach out to me is through the Pame Film Festival. There is a segment in the festival where we allow filmmakers to pitch their story ideas for a movie. If they have a good idea we can easily collaborate. Similarly, we also help them in finding grants for their movies.
Are there any upcoming projects you are excited about or currently working on?
Yes, there are a few projects in the pipeline. However, I work on only one project at a time. I have recently signed a movie.
