While Nepali producers/directors are looking for foreign lands for film shooting, foreign filmmakers are increasingly attracted to Nepal at the recent times. According to the data of Film Development Board, 45 foreign films have been shot in Nepal in just nine months of the current financial year 079/80. In the last 6 years, 243 foreign feature films, wave series and documentaries have been shot. According to the board, teams are coming from India, Britain, America, Island, France, Poland, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Japan, South Africa and other countries for shooting the film. Due to its natural beauty, biodiversity, cultural heritage and snow capped mountains, Nepal has started to be known as a ‘shooting hub’ among world cinematographers.
According to the board, most of the teams that come for filming stay in Nepal for at least 30 to 35 days. Just few days ago, the shooting of the famous Bollywood director Anubhav Sinha’s wave series called ‘Fife’ has been completed in Nepal. In the financial year 078/79, 26 foreign films were shot in Nepal. Among them is ‘Uchai’ starring famous Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Danny Denzongpa, Karunati Chopra and others. The film was shot in Nepal for 37 days from 26th December to 2nd November. Filming was done at Swayambhu, Airport, Hyatt Hotel, Manang, Lukla, Namche and other locations in Kathmandu.
In the year 077/78, only 13 foreign films were shot. Similarly, in the year 075/76, more than 69 foreign films were shot. In the same year, the Hindi film ‘Sukuntala’ was shot in Nepal for 32 days, while Sweden’s ‘The Expedition’ took 19 days of shooting permission. The Hindi film ‘Supravat’ was shot in Nepal for a maximum of 62 days. According to official data, 53 foreign films were shot in Nepal in the year 074/75. In the last 6 years, it is found that most of the shooting is done in the Himalayan areas such as Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, Chitwan, Khumbu region, Everest region, Manang, Mustang.
English films ‘Sold’, ‘Highway to Dhampus’, ‘Lord Buddha’ and ‘A Night Train to Kathmandu’, ‘The Golden Child’, ‘Barak’, ‘Seven Years in Tibet’, ‘The Fall’, ‘Beyond the The shooting of Edge’ and others has also taken place in Nepal. Devananda’s ‘Hare Ram Hare Krishna’, Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Khuda Gawah’ and ‘Mahan’, Anil Kapoor’s ‘Yuddh’ and Govinda’s ‘Gharwali Baharwali’ and ‘Ek Hasina Ek Deewana’ were also shot in Nepal. Similarly, a New Zealand television drama ‘Hilary’, based on the life of legendary Everest summitteer Edmund Hillary, was also filmed in Nepal.