FLMTQ: Besides the human characters, much time is allocated to non-human elements in The Remains—a ceaselessly flowing river, birdsong, the slight graze of the wind. What significance do you ascribe to the ecological elements in your film?
MBP: I have presented the non-human elements not only as the backdrop of the action; they are also important signifiers in creating atmosphere. Through the temporal rhythm of these nonliving elements, I wanted to recreate the atmosphere which was deeply rooted inside me. The narrative convention of cinema, all over the world, is more concerned with human figures and human emotions. Non-human elements are typically used only as a backdrop for human action—some masters, however, have explored the enormous possibilities of non-human elements as a significant elements in cinematic language.
In this short film I am more concerned with immersing the audience in the nature than in human emotions. Though I haven't divided the film into human and non-human elements, this happened automatically while creating it since the film has few human figures and minimal human activities.
FLMTQ: In addition to your own creative endeavors, you are currently on the faculty of film studies at Tribhuwan University. Can you share with our readers any insight you may have about the Nepalese film industry, the process of getting films made, and the creative scene as you see it?
MBP: The history of cinema in Nepal dates back to 1951 when the first ever Nepali feature film titled Satya Harischandra was made, produced in Calcutta, India. Aama was the first film produced in Nepal, in 1964. By the time Nepal produced its first film within its own territory, Indian cinemas had already become popular among Nepalese audiences. Nepalese film borrowed filmmaking formulas and conventions from melodramatic Bollywood films; for fifty years, the Nepalese cinema industry was trying to satisfy audience with a continuous repetition of Bollywood stereotypes.
Over the last few years, significant progress has been made as we are witnessing different narrative styles and genre experiments. Serious, offbeat films are travelling towards international film festivals. The filmmakers from the new generation are pushing themselves forward, rejecting the old, Bollywood inspired cinema conventions. I believe that within the next few years, Nepalese cinema will be shaped with its own fundamental features.
FLMTQ: Are you working on any new projects, and if so, can you tell us a bit about them?
MBP: I am developing my debut feature film, Simi Nasa. This is a narrative of an old shepherd, living a nomadic life in the remote Himalayas. The old man is sick and unable to continue his job in this cold climate, because of his bad health. His son, who is living in the city, proposes that the shepherd move to the city for a better life, but the sick old man is not ready to leave his home in the last days of his life. I am trying to examine profound questions of life and death through the perspective of an innocent, old nomad.