Shilash Thapa Tamang
Kathmandu, 12 September
Artist, writer and film director Khagendra Lamichhane’s book Pani Photo was released on Monday in a literary event organized at Alice Reception, Gauridhara, Kathmandu. Artists Nir Shah, Nischal Basnet, Swastima Khadka, Richa Sharma, Suraksha Patha, Malika Mahat, film director Manoj Pandit, Dipendra K. Khanal, Ashok Sharma, Saurav Rai and author Lamichhane jointly launched the book.
Speaking on the occasion, senior artist Nir Shah said author Khagendra has showed his dedication towards Nepali film industry through this book. “Usually, there is a tendency of making films upon books, but unconventionally, the book Pani Photo is the transliterated version of a movie,” said Shah. He added, “The book carries the contents that are useful for the students graduating in film.”
Director Manoj Pandit viewed the book as a significant contribution to Nepali film. He insisted all film makers to read the book to know technical mechanisms at use behind a scene.
Writer Khagendra Lamichhane said by writing Pani Photo he has made an attempt to answer how Nepali films can be made suitable for our soul. He said, “I had noted some important events and had journeyed to various places during the production of Pani Photo. This got scripted in the time of corona period. Later it took the shape of a book” shared writer Khagendra.
Lamichhane’s Pani Photo appeared in theatres in 2010, which was later converted into a film under his own direction. The movie was released in July 2022. The film tells the story of parents whose son went missing decades long during the Maoist insurgency and the quest to find the missing boy is underway.
In the book, writer Khagendra has presented the journey of Pani Photo from the theatre to the silver screen and has described the technical changes one has to make while switching a story from one medium to another. The book is expected to be a useful reference material for the students of cinematography, theatre artists, film makers and creative writers.
