Adhikari and Dhakal announce candidacy for FNCCI member

Kathmandu, Apr. 3:

Filmmaker, director and actor Akash Adhikari, and banker and businessman Hem Raj Dhakal have announced their candidacy for the posts of member of the Commodity Group at the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The 'Kohinoor' hit maker is a president of Film Producers' Association and Flame of Hope Nepal, a non-government organization working in the social sector.

"Film making is not a profitable sector in Nepal therefore I would like to make the cinema business more transparent by introducing 'Box Office' system," he said at a press meet organized on Monday.

According to him, the Nepalese film industry has employed 500,000 people and Rs. 1 billion is invested in the production alone annually.

"Cinema is a cultural product but we have failed to promote it in the international market. I will work to organize Nepali film festivals in the foreign countries. I will also work for the coordination between the film industry and business community," he said.

He has been working as a coordinator of the recently formed Cinema Promotion Committee.

He is fighting election from the Shekhar Golchha panel.

Adhikari has played an important role in modernization and digitization of Nepalese cinema by introducing latest technology including the Red Camera.

He had begun his career from 1996 hit 'Ranbhumu', and in his two decades long career in the Nepalese film industry, he has directed, written and acted in 14 films.

His latest venture is 'Ke Ma Timro Hoina Ra' while his successful films include Daag, Panchhi, Kathmandu, Kohinoor and Krodh. His directorial venture 'Gorkha Protector' had won international awards.

Currently he is working for his dream project 'The Sunrise' a cinema based on the story of polyandry tradition in the mountains of Nepal.

Similarly, Dhakal runs Heritage Flooring Carpet Industries, Balaji Coir Industries and Jhapa Tea Estate, and is a director at the Board of Directors of the Excel Development Bank.

Graduated from Australia, he has in-depth knowledge of mattress and tea industry in Nepal.

"With the introduction of flooring carpet and mattress, we substituted imports of carpets. Now about 70 per cent of the total carpet and flooring items are produced in Nepal," he said.

Likewise, according to him, tea is a product that should be promoted in the international market since it is 100 per cent domestic product.

"The tea sector has about Rs. 300 billion investment so far. I am planning to coordinate with the government with an aim of exploiting the potentials of this sector and promote Nepalese tea brand in the international market," he said.