Aama (film)

Aama आमा (Literally: Mother) is the first Nepali movie produced in Nepal, starring Shiva Shankar Manandhar and Bhuvan Chand (Thapa) as the leading actors. The movie was produced by the Information Department of the Nepalese Government and released on October 7, 1964.^[1] Bollywood film maker Hira Singh Khatri was invited by the late King Mahendra to direct the first Nepali movie.^[2]

Plot

The story revolved around a typical household of a Nepalese village where a desperate young boy flees home to earn money and to alleviate agony of his poor widow mother. He served in a foreign army for a couple a years, returns home as a grown-up, energetic young man but only to find that his mother has died. The elders of the village persuade him to stay behind in the village and serve the community, reiterating the saying that “service to the motherland is equally virtuous as service to a mother”.

Cast

• Shiva Shankar
• Bhuvan Thapa
• Indra Lal
• Basundhara Bhushal
• Chaitya Devi
• Uttam Nepali
• Hari Prasad Rimal
• Hira Sigh Khatri
• Bhim Bahadur
• Bimala Kumari
• Durga Prasad Shrestha

Crew

Story: Durga Prasad Shrestha and Chaitya Devi

Script: Upendra
Director: Hira Singh Khatri
Music Composer: V. Balsara (Theme song by Nati Kaji/Shiva Shankar)
Producer: Information Department, the Government of Nepal

Production

Since there was no precedence of movie making in Nepal, there were no professional movie actors to be recruited for the leading roles. The leading actor, Shiva Shankar was a music composer/singer and actress Bhuvan Chand was a theater performer. According to Shiva Shankar, most of the shots were approved at the first single take.

References

External links

• Aama at the Internet Movie Database
• First 10 minutes of Aama