Aama, first movie produced in Nepal

The first Nepali movie to be produced and be created solely in Nepal, Aama (literally meaning mother) was premiered in Kathmandu in October 1964. The movie starred Shiva Shankar Manandhar and Bhuvan Chand (Thapa) in the lead roles. King Mahendra had requested that a prominent Bollywood filmmaker Hira Singh Khatri direct the movie as the movie was intended to subtly promote the government and the system of monarchy. The leading roles were taken by popular singers rather than professional actors as there was no film industry in Nepal before this film. Even so, Aama became the beginning of the Nepali film industry and was very successful movie.



aama

The movie depicted the story of a son and his old widowed mother. The main theme of the story is serving the motherland is equally virtuous and important as serving a mother. The story of the movie revolves around a typical Nepali village household where a desperate young man join the foreign army to earn the money for his poor mother, however, when he returns after a couple of years, his mother is already dead. The movie focuses on the loss of the lives of people of Nepal to other countries and its consequences on the country as well as the families they live behind.

The title of the movie did justice to it as the title, Aama (mother) gives us a glimpse of what to expect and meets people’s expectations as well. It goes perfectly with the theme of the movie. Although the movie was the first attempt of the previously non-existent Nepali film industry, it was a huge success. The success of the first movie to be created solely in Nepal had opened the way for the Nepali film industry to prosper. The first movie to be produced in Nepal, Aama deserves a watch.