KATHMANDU: Once an actress, Jharna Thapa is now a director. She is one of the very few female directors in Nepali films. Besides acting, she has directed two successful films. Currently, “A Mero Hajur 4” is the third film in a row as a director.
Even though the beginning of “A Mero Hajur” was tricky, “A Mero Hajur 4” is the third film under her home production.
Due to the economic situation, initially, it was a Herculean task for the Jharna to take the risk of producing a film.
Therefore, making “A Mero Hajur” was not her first choice. Her husband Sunil Kumar Thapa, too, did not want Jharna to play the lead role in the film.
However, film director Shiva Regmi insisted that she would make it opposite Shree Krishna Shrestha, who had become director Shiva’s favorite then.
Later, when the names of Niruta Singh and Jal Shah came up, Jharna thought that she could have acted herself.
However, as a producer, she was not convinced that she should take up the role.
“I was taken aback when director Shiva told me to play the lead role of a heroine,” Jharna reminisces.
The title of the film at that time was “Mero Hajur”. Soon after, the location for the shooting was decided. However, one day, Jharna underwent a difficult time when she could not give her best despite talking for more than 12 takes. Jharna said she could not bring the expression for a scene that she had to give.
Director Regmi then asked her to take a break. “I was too upset then,” Jharna adds.
“I decided to leave the set and go home. I thought it was not my cup of tea. Therefore, I decided to tell the director to find some other heroine for the film.
However, since director Shiva told me to understand the character, she could do it.
In the meantime, when the film was about to be released, it came to Jharna’s and the team’s notice director Narayan Puri was making a film with the same title “Mero Hajur”.
Therefore, since it created a problem, we later changed the title to “A Mero Hajur”.
Now there was no need for Jharna to worry about the film as the audience liked the title song and trailer of the movie.
The film was released. It went well. Jharna continued to work and she did not have to look back.
One day she was doing her make-up when one film director Dayaram Dahal called her and asked her to clap (using the clapping board) on the set.
“I was shocked thinking why he asked me to do it when other crew members were already present,” Jharna recalls, adding, “He (Dayaram) then told me that I should also start looking at the film through the eyes of a director.”
She then realized, “Yes, the time has surely come for me to step in.”
One day, her husband Sunil Kumar Thapa suggested her start directing films.
“You have your own production house, now that you should start working as a director,” Thapa told Jharna, who then overcame her hesitation and fear and jumped into the profession as a director.
She then contacted Samragyi RL Shah as the female lead and Salin Man Bania as the male lead to make a film “A Mero Hajur 2”, which became a hit.
Then she has not looked back. Now, those who are waiting for her new film do not have to wait for a long time since “A Mero Hajur 4” will be released soon, most probably on the first day of Nepali New Year in Baisakh 2079 BS.
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