mediaharsha

By Harsha Man Mahrajan Decoding a text is always a subjective matter. So what I am going to write about Deepak Rauniyar’s debut film, Chaukaith (Threshold) might not be what you think about the film. This film won third prize in 6th Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival. It has a simple story. Trisna, an enumerator of Census visits a woman living in a Tarai village. Her name is Saraswati Gupta but people know her by her village’s name. Not her own name. Trishna’s visit enlarges Saraswati’s understanding of world. Trishna throws a stone in Saraswati’s calm and serene pound. And Saraswati’s life no more remains same as before. In the beginning Saraswati feels uneasy with Trisna. She has no habit of speaking with strangers. But her hesitation gradually vanishes and they become good friends. And gradually Rauniyar unveils his characters. We come to know more about their lives. Saraswati, a mother of two daughters has grudges: her early marriage discontinued her study. She was stud...

By Harsha Man Maharjan In Ellul’s book Propaganda, he thinks that more we consume media; more we become vulnerable to propaganda. Have I also become a victim of propaganda? Only readers can tell. Today I am writing my feelings on Brian Gilbert’s film Not Without My Daughter . As its regular film show and discussion series Martin Chautari screened it on 4 December 2008. It is based on a true story about the struggle an American woman did to escape from Iran to America with her daughter leaving her brutal and abusive Iranian husband. This is film is only an American perspective. Wanting to now more about the film, I googled. Then I came to know about its controversy and, reaction from Iranian people and the h usband himself. According to IranMania.com, documentary Without My Daughter directed by Alexis Kouros and Kari Tervo , contains the husband, Bozorg Mahmoody’s views. This documentary is not available in Nepali market. To IranMania.com, Alexis Kouros had said: the documentary "...

By Harsha Man Maharjan Many Nepalese people outside of Kathmandu are voicing their views in national issues through talk programs like Nepal Chautari and Hamro Nepal Ramro Nepal of Ujjyalo 90 Network and Aab ko Nepal of Nepal FM Network. It is unprecedented in Nepali history. And Nepal’s transitional phase needs more interaction and dialogue on many important issues. These FM programs are helping in this dialogue. Main reason behind this is the caller has to pay nothing for the call. These networks pay for calls. They use toll free phone lines. Even the content of FM radio stations outside kathmandu is reaching these networks’ offices at Kathmandu through these toll free lines. These networks also use these lines to get suggestions and opinions of listners about other programs of networks too. For me toll free line is new concept. I came to know about this kind of phone line from Nepal Chautari. Antenna Foundation Nepal publishes advertisement of Nepal Chautari highlighting this pho...