JOURNAJUNKIE

This Thursday, the February 7^th movie goers attending the screening of Prashant Rasaily’s ‘Kathaa’ at Vajra will witness the first full length movie produced by Sikkim. After a long wait finally it has come to the state after being halted due to the high entertainment tax. An epic tale of love and friendship, Kathaa is a first Sikkimese feature film produced under the Dream Stream Entertainment production with casts and crews all from Sikkim except two lead characters from Nepal. The 110 minutes long movie is shot entirely in Gnathang, a remote hamlet about 150 Kms form the capital. The film is written and directed by renowned Prashant Rasaily and Shailendra Karki has given a beautiful cinematography to the film.

This special show is being done at Vajra Cinema to raise funds for the film which was made entirely on personal budget, with no involvement of corporate houses. Chief Assistant Director and Promotion manager Aditya Cintury said, “Nobody financed us, the film was made entirely by our own money.

The film was shot during June last year in a record 14 days. Followed by 5 months of post production, Kathaa was first screened in Mumbai where it got huge response despite the language barrier and got selected for the Goteborg Film Fest in Sweden.

director: Prashant Rasaily

The release of the film is fixed for 14^th of February in Gangtok, Darjeeling, kalimpong, Kurseong and Siliguri simultaneously provided the UD & HD Department grants tax exemption by the release date. “We have requested the UD & HD to shrink the entertainment tax and if by 14^th they come up with tax exemption we will release the film or else we will have to shift further but in other places than Sikkim the film will be released on the said date” said the film producer Raj Gadaily.

The film was made at a total expense of 40 lacs. Getting funds was the major problem, which most independent filmmakers face. They had to work with limited budgets. However, things somehow fell into place and Kathaa is now the first full-length Sikkimese feature film. “We are still learning, this is our first production and we want to take good things from here and come up with better in our next production” said Aditya.

There is no any song in the movie with the exception of a theme song, the music of which is provided by Prashant Rasaily and background score by Anti Past Andrew.

Most movie scenes are shot at Gnathang, one of the remote villages of Sikkim. The film is about the loss of love and how the protagonist Kaanchha (Saugat Malla) gets back together with his beloved Kumari (Usha Rajak). It explores the universal themes of dreaming of a life with the lover and coming to terms with the nightmare of losing them. Saugat Malla and Usha Rajak, both from Nepal plays the lead roles and Sikkim’s Timothy Rai is also one of the prominent characters in the film.  

Even before its release the movie got huge admiration and created desire on Sikkimese. Kathaa was selected in the 14th Mumbai International Film Festival 2012 and got picked for screening at the Goteborg International Film Festival in Sweden. This movie has also been sent to Berlinale Film Festival to be held in February 2013. 

The film makers are emerging rapidly from Sikkim and making it big but the state’s high entertainment tax of 75% is distressing the film makers. The government should bring the tax down to boost the film industry here in Sikkim feels the determined film makers.