A Presentation of Aadi Production.

Genre : Drama 

About : An artery of relationships

Starring : Karma, Saugat Malla, Reecha Sharma, Binaya Shrestha, Eelum, Dayahang Rai, Rajan Khatiwada, Asha Magarati, Shristi Ghimire, Mamata Rai, Sandip Chhetri, Bhumika Shrestha, Keshav Bhattrai and introducing BBC's Rabindra Mishra to the big screen.

Plot Outline : Set against the backdrop of the new culture of bandhs (general strikes) that frequently immobilize post-conflict Nepal, HIGHWAY explores five different relationship stories that become intertwined during an ill-fated bus journey from eastern Nepal to the capital, Kathmandu. While the passengers - each of whom urgently needs to be somewhere else - await a resolution to the combustible strike that is blocking the only passable road, the film explores the psychological and spiritual bandhs that many Nepalis are contending with.

Directed By : Deepak Rauniyar

Written By : story Kedar Sharma, Khagendra Lamichhane and Deepak Rauniyar

Screenplay By : Abinash Bikram Shah

Produced By : Executive producers Dr. Sameer M Dixit and Dr. Lonim P Dixit, co-producers Joslyn Barnes and Danny Glover

Director’s statement : Nepal is no longer the Shangri-la for trekkers bent on climbing the highest mountain range in the world. It has just emerged from a 12-year long conflict in which some 13,000 people were killed, and many more disabled and displaced. The country is still struggling with a political process in which the principal parties are holding fast to positions that are obstructing consensus in finalizing a constitution and moving forward in peace. The legacy of this bitter and violent civil war permeates the lives of people throughout the country, both in urban and rural areas and across all social classes. Along with power cuts that are legendary, the political impasse and the economic stagnation, a “bandh culture” (general strike) has immobilized ordinary life for millions who try to eke out a daily living. Bandhs are often organized for no real reason and sometimes last for months. 

In 2009, I happened to do a road trip from east Nepal to the capital, Kathmandu. Our journey was obstructed by three different bandhs, organized by three different groups in three different parts of the country. This is when we got the idea for this film, Highway. I felt that by setting a story in the backdrop of this new bandh culture, I would not only be able to explore physical bandhs, but also explore our mental/psychological bandhs, which many of us seem to be facing these days. 

Filmmaking has never been just another profession for me. I have come to make films with an objective. When I first assisted Tsering Rhitar Sherpa for his feature Karma in 2005, I was working as an editor in a national daily newspaper for the arts page. I often had arguments with filmmakers who furiously called about the bad reviews their films got, as they normally were bad copies of Hindi films. These conversations often ended with them challenging me to make films myself. So I started to get interested in filmmaking. My first and second attempt at making a film on an original subject with a unique style were the shorts CHAUKAITH (Threshold) and POOJA, which earned me some success and encouraged me to make a feature film. I want to contribute to creating a legacy of Nepali films without blindly following or copying Bollywood or other industries. I hope HIGHWAY is a good start. 

Besides an adventurous bus journey, Highway explores five different contemporary relationship stories. The film is mostly shot with telephoto lenses focusing on one character at a time and has been structured and edited in a very unique inverted pyramid news writing style, all non-linear, in contemporary form and not unlike our grandparents’ storytelling style. The major incident in the story comes first and then we go back to time, space, characters and other elements of the story. Contrary to standard methods of filmmaking, I didn’t give actors written dialogue, they improvised their lines on the set while doing a scene. I didn’t dictate how they should express their emotions. I didn’t even like the camera dictating their movements. I would outline to the actors the situation of a scene, its background and where that scene was taking place, what was very important in the scene, what was that scene for, how it should be started and how it should end, and I let them improvise the rest. Mostly they decided how they were going to speak, what they were going to say, how they were going to move, how they were going to express emotions, etc. I believe improvisation allows an actor of any background (child/old/illiterate/or professional) to perform to their best and it also gives a more natural flow to a scene. An actor can add a lot of detailing, which as writers we might never have thought of. 

I believe in film as a medium of expression, and maybe because of my initial journalism background, I like exploring or exposing something that challenges me and the society around me, especially if that story offers a platform to generate questions and debates. I am inspired by the successes of great films such as Schindler’s List, Born on the Fourth of July, The White Ribbon, The Lives of Others, Johnny Mad Dog and No Man’s Land, which have not only proven themselves creatively, but have also breathed life into particular subjects and characters that have had a major impact on human history. 

My need and desire to make HIGHWAY is similar.

 Coming Soon