The Cinema times,Kathmandu- Chiso Ashtray”: A cinema that the youth can own .

 Synopsis: Madan, an innocent villager, arrives in Kathmandu with dreams but is always made inferior by the ultra-modern lifestyle of the city. In his desperation to fit in, he changes his lifestyle; but the change comes with dire consequences.

Dinesh Palpali’s debut commercial directorial venture “Chiso Ashtray” is based on Bhupi Sherchan’s poem of the same name. The cinema stars Shristi Shrestha, Robin Tamang, Divya Dev, Nikun Shrestha, Nabin Lamsal in pivotal roles. It is slated to hit the theatres on March 18.

It took seven years for the cinema to finally reach the screens. Director Palpali, who is also the writer of this cinema, was touched by Bhupi Sherchan’s poem. He felt that the poem described him and many youths who are lost in search of a career in Kathmandu. When he decided to embark on a journey as a director, he chose that very poem as his subject.

The task was not easy. It took him four years just to prepare the script. He wrote, tore, again wrote, tore… he lost counts on how many times he did that. Before heading on with the script, he had many references. But it was Chiso Ashtray’s essence that he wanted people to watch.

Palpali, also an English literature graduate says, “We watch many stories and we love them. But, from Hollywood to Bollywood, there’s not a single story that we can say, is mine. Those stories aren’t ours! So, I wanted a story that a simple Nepali youth could relate to and call it his. That’s Chiso Ashtray.”

Before jumping in the director’s chair, he had experiences on editing, poster designing and writing. He met with the producer of the cinema through these works. Palpali had edited one of Timalsina’s projects. Timalsina liked it; they became friends and worked together in this cinema.

Finally after seven years, Palpali is freeing himself from this project as the cinema is all set to screen on Chaitra 4. The cinema has earned positive reviews from the premiere. All present at the premiere screening applauded the storytelling and visual language of the cinema. This has got the team hopeful and excited..

Director: Dinesh Palpali.

Producer: Maheshbabu Timalsina 

Release date: March 18.

Cast: Shristi Shrestha, Robin Tamang, Divya Dev, Nikun Shrestha, Nabin Lamsal,  Sushil Raj Pandey