Talking New Roles With BLACK SUMMER’s Deepak Gurung

-

June 16, 2017

Austria-2017-lexlimbu (56) — PHOTO: lexlimbu

The final stock of the limited edition Gurkha Cross Khukuri Sekonda watches are back in stock at Gurkha Bullions & Vault in Aldershot. With Father’s Day in the UK on Sunday 18th June, the new and final stock of one-hundred exclusive Gurkha Cross Khukuri Watches will definitely make the perfect present.Â The watch comes with the classic Khukuri Cross and â€œ200 Years Of Serviceâ€ written just under the 12â€² on the dial. The limited edition Khukuri CrossÂ Sekonda Gurkha watches are priced at Â£120 and come in a royal red wooden box. Each watch comes with a unique serial number displayed in the back of the dial making it a perfect collectors item.

The Gurkha Bullions and Vault is located on 92 Victoria Road, Aldershot and you can contact the team atÂ 01252444385.

Get In Touch Via Whatsapp/Viber:Â whatsApp/viber-
???????? 0044-7478313810
???????? 00977-9803053377

Comedian Sandip Chettri with his Gurkha Watch

Miss Nepal 2017 Nikita Chandak’s Return To Hometown Urlabari And Other Questions

By

-

June 16, 2017

There was a time when I religiously posted updates about Miss Nepal on the blog and continued sharing their progress and sightings of various Miss Nepal’s during their reign. Surprisingly, my interest in the beauty pageant seems to have vanished. That was until the crowning of twenty-year old Nikita Chandak as Miss Nepal World 2017 on the 2nd of June. Having little knowledge about this years pageant apart from the fact that the ever-so-popular Niti Shah was participating, I was not prepared for the flood of updates, opinions and criticisms towards this years winners. Then again, that is the story of Miss Nepal every year, right? I came to learn that the twenty year old comes from the small town of Urlabari, a small roadside town which I’ve visited multiple times and driven past more than I can remember. At this stage, I was pretty pleased to learn that someone from such a small town became the Miss Nepal.

Social media is truly an amazing platform. It really lets us see the true colours of people that use it. Reading and seeing peoples updates to observing very popular Nepali pages with several hundred thousand followers online share memes and troll updates about Nikita Chandak because of the way she looks, her skin-tone to the extent of questioning her identity was truly distressing to see. But that was not surprising at all. We pass so many discriminatory comments on the daily, over dinner, at celebration function; it’s everywhere to the point that we’ve normalised it.

I am even more drawn to the story of Nikita Chandak because she not only is our Miss Nepal now but she is a Miss Nepal from a Marwari community, for many people who question the “Nepali look” I hope they learn that the modern-day Nepali look is dynamic and the Nepali tone can be as soft or strong as you like. It is what we feel from within that identifies who we are, not the look we wear or the tone of our voice.

Chandak who is currently a commerce student at Amity University, Noida (INDIA) was born in Urlabari and in recent interviews she has spoken about her participation at the TGIF Nepal Fashion Week and Miss Nepal 2017. Modelling or participating in a beauty pageant was never a plan or a past that she boasts experiences of, she feels that she has already used this vacation time in a productive manner. After all, not many can say they walked the ramp of Nepal’s biggest fashion week and brought home the Miss Nepal crown. She aspires to be an actress in the future and most importantly, become financially independent.

The Miss Nepal 2017 returned to her hometown in Urlabari where she received a triumphant welcome! Love the photos! Looks so vibrant.

PHOTOS: KISHOR SHRESTHA / NIKITA CHANDAK

Watch New Nepali Films On CinemaGhar APP!

By

-

June 14, 2017

Never has it been so easy to watch Nepali films on the go! The new CinemaGhar App lets you watch Nepali films on the go in high-definition for FREE! Available on Android and IOS, the CinemaGhar App releases one exclusive film every month for you to watch on the go. It’s super easy to navigate around and by turning your notifications ‘on’, you’ll receive an alert whenever a new film is added on the CinemaGhar App.

The newest film on the CinemaGhar App archive is THE WINNER starring Manchin Shakya and Malina Joshi. The action flick which was filmed in Dubai is already generating quite a number of views. JAY PARSHURAM and JANGA BAHADUR KO COAT are lined up to be added on the app!

The app brings Nepali films and short films to a central platform where you can watch without being distracted by other videos. Unlike many Nepali film viewing platforms, the app exclusively shares only HD quality films.

Center for Nepal Studies UK 10th Anniversary Event Overview

By

-

June 14, 2017

Follow the CNSUK 10th Anniversary Event on Storify

Centre for Nepal Studies UK (CNSUK) marked its 10th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday, June 11th in Oxford. The academic and research organisation is dedicated to advancing knowledge on Nepalis in the UK focused mainly on social research and advocacy. The anniversary event was attended by CNSUK members including Dr Govinda Dhakal who played an instrumental role in founding the organisation. Chief Guest His Excellency Dr Durga Bahadur Subedi, Ambassador of Nepal to the UK was also part of the first half of the event. In addition, the event saw the participation of a number of chair persons from various Nepalese community organisations, educators, researchers and councillors.

The first half of the day was focused on sharing research findings from the organisation. CNSUK’s Dr Krishna Adhikari provided an overview of Nepalis in the UK and emphasised on the importance of why a research on the diaspora is highly required. The statistics shared by Dr Adhikari came as a surprise to me as the June 2017 data suggests that the population of Nepalese living in the UK is below 100,000, much less than the 150,000 figure that is often shared by Nepali men and women in the UK. A following chart also showcased the number of Nepalese holding a British passport. Following presentations gave an overview of the research on the social mobility of Nepalis in the UK ‘Future of Nepali Youth in the UK’, Gurkha Pension and Policies, Diaspora Religion and introduced the Motilal Scholarship.

Professor Surya Subedi spoke about promoting academic and research among Nepalis. The attendees were also virtually connected to speakers Seema Malhotra and Dr Bachhu Kailash Kaini. Dr Kaini who came to the UK from Nepal just more than a decade ago was the only candidate of Nepali origin in the recent UK elections. Whilst Dr Kaini lost in the elections, his feat is a big win and is a positive example to the Nepalese diaspora in the UK.

The second half of the event consisted of a workshop on ‘Political and Civic Participation: Experience and the way forward’ where participants including myself were divided into four groups. We discussed various questions around political engagement, volunteering, participation in wider community, access, restriction and the way forward and reported our findings back to the entire group. The event was concluded with a short speech by president of NRNA (UK) Muchettra Gurung and closing remarks by CNSUK Executive Director Lokendra Dhakal.

On a personal note, huge congratulations to CNSUK for the 10th anniversary celebration. Your research on Nepali diaspora in the UK is important and I really do believe that we are only scratching the surface at present and we have much more issues, topic and areas to tap into and learn about. Learning and sharing go hand in hand therefore, in the future I hope CNSUK play a bigger role by inviting young social scientists to participate in the workshop, attend the events or to join their team. I believe many more young people would’ve been equally interested to attend the event on Sunday if they were aware of the program.Â

There certainly seems to be a mounting pressure on the Nepalese population here to excel academically and in their own profession and it’s inspiring to see nearly three dozen Nepalese councillors across the UK and hear of Dr Kaini’s story. I feel that young people around the age bracket of 18-27 (few years up and down) have so much more to prove here considering we’ve been lucky to have had a good base here and also we bring with us, memories from Nepal, Brunei, Hong Kong or wherever we have moved from. The line often shared by our parents, relatives, “we came here to make your life better” is often thrown about but now it’s time for us to start working effectively to not only make our life better here but to make our community better. This ‘community’ I speak of can be Nepal or the UK, whichever and wherever you feel you can contribute the best.Â

The BLACK SUMMER Experience With JYASANG LIMBU

By

-

June 14, 2017

[Introducing Ambika Rai – BLACK SUMMER]

The young Nepalese population who have now made the UK their home have received many opportunities as well as faced certain challenges. In the area of Nepali arts and entertainment, those wishing to pursue a career or contribute towards Nepali arts continue to do so through sole determination and a growing number of like-minded individuals who believe in creating stories around and on Nepalese people. Nepali music, films or arts that are being created in the UK for the Nepalese diaspora lack effective promotion, marketing and distribution. Yet even with such hurdles, creators have continued to produce stories and music.

Twenty-one year old Jyasang Limbu who hails from Jhapa in Nepal has been living in the UK for the past ten years. The aspiring actor made his debut with the film KABELI, a story set in the Limbu villages of Taplejung and with the upcoming BLACK SUMMER, he’s hopeful that his previous experience on-screen and the recent learning will have helped him in making this a worthwhile film for the audience. Jyasang makes one of the many young members of the BLACK SUMMER crew who dedicated their time in the production of this Nepali film in the UK. With the premiere of BLACK SUMMER only ten days away on June 24 in Reading, I managed to get into the mind of the young actor to talk about his upcoming film.

LEX: You’re only 21 but you’ve already acted in two films. That’s pretty incredible! Can you tell me a bit about your debut film?

JYASANG: My first film experience was in Nepal where I played a character in Kabeli of a young adult from the UK who visits his home village in Nepal. It was an amazing experience for me because my crew members were fun and caring. I didnâ€™t just play a role, I made friends and enjoyed every single moment of it. The only tough part about it was walking for hours to get to the locations as the movie was filmed in remote places away from transport links.

LEX: That definitely sounds like a wonderful travel as well as a filming journey! From KABELI in Nepal to BLACK SUMMER in UK, how did this come about?

JYASANG: Our director of Black Summer, Mr LB Subba was in the audience during the premiere of Kabeli in Oxford and I was told that he really enjoyed my performance in the film. Afterwards, he reached out to my mother about this role in BLACK SUMMER.

LEX: I’ve been asking this question to everyone from Ambika, Sapana to Ritesh, how was the filming experience for BLACK SUMMER?

JYASANG: It was one of the most memorable moment for me. I knew straight away that this would be an incredibly fun experience after meeting my crew members in our movie workshop where we first met. During the first week we went to Snowdonia in Wales where we shot about 30% of the movie. It didn’t feel like work, I felt like we were there on holiday because we had so much good times together. Sometimes I wish that the entire film could’ve been shot there.

LEX: So how did this experience of BLACK SUMMER differ to the filming of KABELI in Nepall?

JYASANG: Well for me there was not much difference. Only thing I would say that was different was the fact that I learned and gained more knowledge from Black Summer as I actively helped out in other things and got the chance to know more about cinematography.

LEX: You worked alongside quite a big team in BLACK SUMMER, whoâ€™s company did you enjoy the most?

JYASANG: Everyone was fun and nice to be around with, I enjoyed everyones company. If I really had to choose one person than it would be our one and only PATMAN dai Deepak Gurung.

LEX: Apart from acting, you seem to also be a passionate singer, can we see you singing in BLACK SUMMER?

JYASANG: Yes I am very passionate about singing. Not just singing, I am passionate about music in general. I love playing instruments such as the piano, guitar and the drums. Behind the scenes we did have an acoustic live performance in Black Summer filming but unfortunately you wont see me singing in the film itself.

LEX: On that note, what is your current favourite song?

JYASANG: I dont really have one favourite song. I love so many songs, from the latest RNB and pop music, however I have always been a fan of Ed Sheeran. So I would have to go with Ed Sheeranâ€™s Castle on the hill.

LEX: Okay, on films, what is a recent film you watched that you enjoyed?

JYASANG: The recent film that I watched and enjoyed very much was the Guardians of The Galaxy 2. I’ve been a huge fan of superheroes since childhood. I have also watched all the latest Marvel and DC Comics movies.

LEX: If you could do a dream role then what would it be?

JYASANG: My dream role would be to play as a police officer or a detective because I’ve watched far too many CID episodes when I was young and of course Salman Khanâ€™s Dabangg.

LEX: Getting back to BLACK SUMMER, please talk us through your character and tell us a few words about it?

JYASANG: My character is just an ordinary guy who’s in college and loves to spend time with his friends. Unfortunately, he has some one sided love to deal with and is a very emotional guy as well. Due to various incidents in his life, he has quite the mood swing.

LEX: What’s a highlight memory from Black Summer?

JYASANG: I would say the last night in Snowdonia, Wales! We decided to turn our villa into a club and pretty soon, everyone was dancing and enjoying the atmosphere.Â

[TALKING BLACK SUMMER WITH RITESH CHAMS]

LEX: You seem really involved with music and your interest in acting. At what age did you start getting interested in films and music?

JYASANG: Films and music was kind of like the only thing that I grew up with, well cricket as well. When there used to be electricity cut for 2 hours back in Nepal, I used to sit on the balcony with my mini toy guitar and just sing by myself, I also took a guitar lesson when I was in class 6. With films, I watched many Nepalese movies of actors such as Rajesh Hamal, Shree Krishna Shrestha, Dilip Rayamajhi not to mention Jackie Chan was my favourite. So I would say roughly from the age of 8 or 9.

LEX: How are you feeling about JUNE 24 the day of the BLACK SUMMER Premiere in Reading, excited or nervous?

JYASANG: I am feeling a bit of both to be honest. Excited because this is a huge thing for me and I didnt even imagine that I would be acting in a movie about three years ago and nervous because I haven’t seen the movie yet and I hope I have done a good job.

LEX: Thank you so much for your time and see you again on June 24!Â

[Biomedical Scientist to Black Summer Actress]

Happy Birthday Namrata Shrestha!

By

-

June 14, 2017

It’s Namrata Shrestha‘s birthday today! On this birthday post, I wanted to celebrate not her acting but her singing. In the past, the Sano Sansar actress has covered Rohit John Chettri’s BISTARAI and the song Prakriti Ko Sundar from her film CLASSIC. I loved the cover of Bistarai. It was done so well and blended well with the theme of Soul Sister film. Surprisingly, I discovered the cover of Prakriti Ko Sundar only recently and I must say she has done a decent job there too.

Namrata wowed thousands in the crowd during the NepHop Revolution concert in Basantapur few years ago. She shared the stage with AIDRAY and many other NepHop rappers as she sang the NepHop Evolution theme song. Unfortunately, there’s only a small clip of her performance online. However, the actress recently belted out a few lines from the song KALE DAI from the film PARVA during the promotions for the film. She sounded brilliant!

Hope we get to hear more of Namrata Shrestha in the days to come! I look forward to watching PARVA and I sincerely wish her all the best with upcoming films, projects and whatever she is associated with. I hope she continues to change things up by exploring different characters, stories as well as making sure her reach and stardom positively shapes the lives of others. Of course, the best of health and mind to her. With this said, Happy Birthday Namrata!

Okay, I have to squeeze in a video here! Love the energy of this song and video! After all, not many people get a song after their name.

Kingston University Win Inter-Uni Nepalese Dance Competition 2017

By

-

June 13, 2017

[Inter-Uni Nepalese Dance Competition 2016]

Inter-Uni-Dance-Competition-2017 — Closing Performance by UWENS (2017) (PHOTO: HAB)

The Inter-Uni Nepalese Dance Competition (UK) returned in full swing at The Empire, Aldershot on Friday 9th of June. This years event was organised by the winners of 2016, University of West England Nepalese Society (UWENS). Whilst I attended as a judge in the year 2016, this year I was in attendance simply as a spectator, wishing to be entertained and enthralled by the performances of the participating seven university Nepalese societies.

WINNERS

FIRST – Kingston University Nepalese Society

SECOND – University of East London Nepalese Society

THIRD – University of Reading Nepalese Society

[VIEW ALL PHOTOS HERE]

JUDGES

SUJATA RAI

SAMIR GURUNG (SEXY SHISHI)

BHAWANI JIMI

Counting the event on Friday, this was the second time that UWENS came together to host and organise the competition. Though away from their base in Bristol, the team pulled through with wonderful hosting, coordinating the societies and timely wrap-up of the event. A special mention has to be made of their opening and closing performance, performed by the members of UWENS. As the winners of last year, they definitely gave audience a glimpse of how they won in 2016 even minus a few members from last year.

Events such as Inter-Uni Nepalese Dance Competition on the surface may be seen as another event where the young come together to just dance in Nepali songs but I have to stop you there if that is how you view this event. The Nepalese diaspora in the UK has a majority demographic of young people and unsurprisingly, a lot of these young people are growing up here in the UK. Their primary to secondary school years, life experiences to the music, films and cultural references they are being exposed to are generated from what they see in the UK. It’s incredibly inspiring for me, as someone who came to England at the age of eight to see young Nepalese students dancing in Nepali songs. This is not just dancing, this usually means that they’re going over these songs, picking up the lyrics, new words, new style and form of dancing. Whilst entertainment for viewers, the very performance is acting as a tool of education and a bridge to Nepali arts and entertainment that many of the young people here are growing distant to.

I have to make a special mention of University of Middlesex Nepalese Society. Their performance which beautifully represented three distinct groups of people from Nepal, the Sherpas, the Tharus and the Newars, must have required careful studying of their dance moves to their traditional attires which the students wore so beautifully. From the gentle pace of the Sherpa dance to the vibrant rhythms of the Tharu dance, their performance felt like a festival. Colourful, vibrant and a glimpse to what Nepal represents in terms of culture and people.

Likewise, the winning performance by Kingston University Nepalese Society (KUNS) went further in bringing an essence of what it means to be a young Nepali person in the UK. It brought stories of the home to the stage. In a brief performance, it represented the older men and women who make up many of our parents to us young folks (well even though I am 25, I still consider myself young), it was done in a clever manner. It came as no surprise that they clinched the title.

Events such as the dance competition or the drama competition Kent Enlightens Nepal, hosted by Kent Nepalese Society is wonderful examples of the young Nepalese students coming together to not only enjoy and compete in a friendly manner but also preserve arts, music and stories. As always only a few societies win but those that went home without a trophy, do not be disheartened, your performance will still be remembered and your participation, greatly appreciated not only by the organisers but every member of the audience.

I look forward to the event next year.

Congratulations, to all those who participated in this years event.

[Videos of the performances will be added soon]

Karishma Manandhar Keki Adhikari Barsha Siwakoti And Pradeep Khadka To Attend Nepali Film Award In UK!

By

-

June 13, 2017

More and more Nepali actors are confirming their attendance for the National Box Office Film Fare Award in Aldershot, UK on the 1st of July! The iconic actress who we have grown up watching Karishma Manandhar will be attending the first ever Nepali film award in the UK. Joining her will be the equally gifted and well known Keki Adhikari, Barsha Siwakoti and Pradeep Khadka! These actors are rapidly climbing on the ladder of success through films such as Love Sasha, Lappan Chappan and Prem Geet!

Prem Geet hero Pradeep Khadka also shared that the Prem Geet 2 team will be preparing a special performance for the award show in Aldershot. The tickets for the award show is on sale with the standard tickets at Â£25 and the VIP tickets at Â£50. The award ceremony will take place at The Empire in Aldershot between 6PM-9PM.

[BUY TICKETS NOW]

Nepal On World’s Fastest Growing Economies 2017!

By

-

June 13, 2017

It looks like Nepal is firmly on the road to recovery as the country came third in the World’s Fastest Growing Economies list of 2017. According to a report by World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects, Nepal comes after Ethiopia and Uzbekistan with its forecast growth at 7.5%. The World Bank states “Nepalâ€™s growth has rebounded strongly following a good monsoon, reconstruction efforts after the 2015 earthquake and normalization of trade with India”. This is indeed a much needed good news after the earthquake and blockades impact on the economy of Nepal in 2015-2016. What would be even better is if Nepal keeps this progress up and it’s economy grows at this pace next year! Now that would be an important indicator to the future growth and would further instil more confidence in people.

[READ MORE HERE]

Follow Lex On Twitter!Â

Malvika Subba’s Return To TV With JEEVAN SAATHI

By

-

June 13, 2017

Not that she was ever gone but MALVIKA SUBBA is making a return to television as the new host for the popular show JEEVAN SAATHI. Malvika who appeared on the very show alongside husband Riyaj in the previous seasons will now be seen as the host for season three with the very first episode airing on Friday Asadh 2, June 16 at 8.05PM on Himalaya Television.

The CEO of Idea Studio Nepal is also the host for CMC Career Quiz which she will be hosting alongside Robin Sharma. The duo have been at it as Malvika shared “a huge task of shooting 25 episodes in seven days” on her Instagram. Whilst we have no official airing date for the Careerz Quiz yet, we can look forward to JEEVAN SAATHI on the 16th of June!

It’s incredible to see how busy Malvika has been lately! From hosting countless events, attending events to having a pretty busy social life (from glimpses of her Instagram), this mother has been doing it all! A Wonder Woman Indeed!

Can’t wait for JEEVAN SAATHI with Malvika Subba!

Deepak Rauniyar’s Critically Acclaimed WHITE SUN In London

By

-

June 13, 2017

[Deepak Rauniyar On NY Times Directors Watch List]

The critically acclaimed Nepali film WHITE SUN has been receiving accolades in film festivals globally and it will finally be the turn of the UK to screen the Deepak Rauniyar film later this month. Director Rauniyar shared that WHITE SUN will be screened at BFI Southbank in London on Monday 26th June. The screening takes place at 6.10PM with tickets ranging from Â£12.10. As I write this, there are only 31 tickets left for the screening! Make sure you buy it quick and you can buy it online here!

The Dayahang Rai starrer world premiered at the prestigious Venice Film Festival and follows the tale of two brothers with Rai playing a maoist fighter, set in the period after the civil war. WHITE SUN was most recently screened at the 64th Sydney Film Festival where director Rauniyar is also part of the festivals five-member jury panel. Now that’s a first Nepali director in the jury panel at Sydney Film Festival! Woot woot!

Looking forward to watching WHITE SUN in London!

[EK CHIN WITH DAYAHANG RAI]

Alena Gurung Features In Shirish Jung Rana’s ARU SANGA TIMI MV!

By

-

June 9, 2017

UK based Nepali vlogger ALENA GURUNG from ‘The Nepscots Show‘ on YouTube is in the music video Aru Sanga Timi by Shirish Jung Rana! A typical love triangle ensues in the music videos as Alena is seen going back and forth between her hunky co-actors Resham Malla and Leo Tank. You definitely do not want to be one of the guys, forever wondering if they’re permanently friendzoned and being a third-wheel! That scene next to the tree was everything. Poor guy!

The video makes use of UK’s historic heritage buildings, sweeping landscape to the beaches. I must say, it looks better than reality! Jokes apart, the video has been directed by Puskal Limgr (bhagi) with the fitting lyrics by Nani Thapa. Alena looks beautiful in all her outfits and the male models look the part too!

Alena burst into popularity within the Nepalese community in the UK as a young teen when she participated in a beauty pageant in Dover followed by her brief modelling stint during her holiday in Nepal and appearing in a music video around 2006-7. She currently shares daily vlogs on The Nepscots Show which shows a glimpse into her family life.

Would love to see more of Alena in music videos again!

Talking BLACK SUMMER With Ritesh Chams

By

-

June 9, 2017

1

As we get closer to the release date of BLACK SUMMER, I managed to catch up with the lead actor of the film RITESH CHAMS. The word ‘multi-talented’ does not quite sum up Ritesh. Whilst we have heard and met people possessing triple threat qualities in sports and arts, Chams possesses a unique set of skills from flying, being an entrepreneur owning a Hair, Fashion and Beauty establishment to having a few films and theatre experience firmly under his belt. Based in Reading in the UK, actor Chams has caught the acting bug from early on but it has been the past few years which has brought forth opportunities from Black Summer, Happy Days, Blind Rocks to Samaya Drishya.

LEX: I did my background research and I came to learn that you’re also a pilot. I love the idea of flying a plane so before we jump onto films, what is flying like?

RITESH: Basically I started flying in the UK and finished my course in Florida, USA. I have flown various aircrafts during my time learning and flying but I really enjoy flying glider light aircrafts. My first flying experience was on a glider and it was in Oxford, not too far away. It was scary, really challenging as a glider does not have an engine but that is also what made it so thrilling and my favourite. The best part of being a pilot is that you can “Fly in the Sky like a bird and Â enjoy the freedom in the air”. Being able to look down and see the Earth and its scenery during a low-flight is a priceless moment.

LEX: Being a pilot, running a business in the UK to acting – when did your interest in the creative arts being?

RITESH: Being a pilot is an option for me at the moment. I am involved in my own Hair, Fashion and Beauty establishment which keeps me occupied and in terms of acting, I had experience as a child artist in the past. I was involved in a drama production around the age of ten.

LEX: BLACK SUMMER is nearly here and it is being promoted heavily in the UK right now but before that, how was your journey in films and music videos?

RITESH: In the UK, I’ve been performing in stage dance shows and even on the high streets… eventually I also did a few music videos where I modelled. One of the music videos also features my flying so that was fun. With theatre, I began with Badhyata and later I had the opportunity to share the stage with legendary comedian Santosh Panta and Dhurmus (Sitaram Kattel) in ‘Pa Pi Pa’ show in the UK back in 2014. Last year, I also performed in Samaya Drishya ‘Scenario of Time’. At the same time I did various short-films Missuse and Lesson. U-TURN was my debut and last film.

LEX: Wow, that’s quite a collection of experiences on top of being a business figure and a pilot! Talking about BLACK SUMMER, it is a thriller love story and you share the screen with Reema Bishwokarma, how was it working alongside her?

RITESH: Reema is amazing and a multi-talented person, I am a big fan of her and I have learned a lot from her. She was always very keen in helping others on and off scenes. It’s great to see her hosting NEPAL IDOL right now, that just shows how talented she is. She always influenced me with her personality and her varied skills. Sharing the screen with her was fun and a great opportunity to see as well as learn from her art and performance. She supported me in the beginning by helping me feel more confident in front of the camera. I would love to work again with her in the future.

LEX: Aside from Reema, the team consists of many Nepalese from the UK, how was the team and the filming experience of Black Summer?

RITESH: The set schedule was definitely challenging as we had to work till the early morning, a lot of hard work and a strong mental attitude was required by the team and the team did very well. A huge respect to all of them, showing such desire as well as making the experience immensely fun no matter what situation we were facing.

The filming experience of Black Summer was phenomenal, it tested what team work was. Even with the few experience I’ve had, I realised that they were very little as Black Summer was a different scale. I had never actually been in-front such huge camera with so much technology involved. I felt very nervous on our first shoot, I was numb. This was a big learning curve and it was a beautiful one.

LEX: In BLACK SUMMER, what type of character do you play?

RITESH:Â I am called Ritesh in the movie. Ritesh is a fun loving
person who represents the Nepalese diaspora in the UK. My character goes through a journey of high and low and a lot of my scenes involved a lot of action which was pretty hard to film. Nonetheless, I believe all the hard work has paid off.

LEX: Okay, so you’re also in HAPPY DAYS and BLIND ROCKS! That is quite a range of movies in such a short-time. What can you tell us about those two projects?

RITESH: I learned so much fromÂ Dayahag Rai and Priyanka Karki, from HAPPY DAYS, while we were filming for two months in the UK. It gave me a real opportunity to leverage their knowledge and experience on the set and off the set. I am so thankful to director Milan Chams for the opportunity because it was a dream come true to me to be able to share the screen with Daya dai and
Priyanka. My role in Happy Days again sees me as a character who has lived in the UK for long, basically I have to guide Daya dai and I am the connection in the story in-terms of getting his dream within the film.

BLIND ROCKS gave me a real taste of filming in Nepal. It involved such a huge team on ground during the filming and the shooting environment wasÂ great and co-operative within different departments. In the film I play a character who’s very important to Benisha Hamal, who is playing the role of Shristi KC.

LEX: It’s incredible to learn that you’ve been able to have such different film experiences within such a short time, that too from the UK! You’re really juggling it all. What would be a dream role for you?

RITESH: Thatâ€™s a real eye opener of a question for me. To be honest I have so many dream roles, I’ll tell you
what, I love action and I would prefer to play the character that is able to educate and empower viewers through the film.

LEX: Well! At this rate, I am sure it’s only a matter of time before you get to fulfil your dream roles. Lastly, do you have anything to add before I leave you. Huge thank you for your time and I cannot wait to watch the film with the Black Summer team on June 24!

RITESH: I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to BLACK SUMMER director LB Subba Sir for believing in me for the role and the opportunity, all the producers, everyone who was involved in BLACK SUMMER and my co-artists, thank you so much for making this a truly memorable and educational experience.

1974AD’s Hazar Sapana UK Concert On August 18!

By

-

June 7, 2017

1

1974AD #thenewlineup will be performing in London this August! The Pahilo Junima rockers, back with their ninth studio album HAZAR SAPANA will be playing at the Coronet Theatre on August 18. The event by The Signaturee and D&G Entertainment will see the new line-up which consists of the ‘Bistarai’ singer Rohit John Chhetri. The band who’s very well known for their hits Parelima, Sambodhan, Nepali Ho, Hazaar Sapana will definitely give London a night to remember!

EARLY BIRD Tickets will be released on June 10th at only Â£10! That’s a bumper bargain. Make sure you don’t miss that out. The second release of tickets will be on THURSDAY at Â£15 followed by advance tickets at Â£25 and the door price at Â£30. The opening acts for the evening is yet to be confirmed. Your hosts for the evening will be the gracious Sarala Thapa and myself! We’re excited to be working together, well talking alongside one another again. We’re definitely going to make sure that everyone is up on their feet and jamming away!

BIRTHDAY ENTRIES – August 14 TO 22, if your birthday falls between these dates then you my friend, will receive a free entry for the concert!

Dress to impress! Smart, casual, chic, sexy! Hoods and caps are not allowed at the event so do make a note of that. PHOTO ID is a big MUST! Make sure you are 18 or over and come with a license/passport.

Confirm Your Attendance On FACEBOOK!

FOR TICKETS:

DEBBRE: â˜Ž 07478689695 [London/Kent]
DIPESH : â˜Ž 07411189665 [Farnborough/Hampshire]
GERE : â˜Ž 07875420927 [Tidworth/Aldershot/Farnborough]
NASHIB : â˜Ž 07853058371 [London]
SHARMAIN: â˜Ž 07838422279 [Farnborough/Hampshire]
SUMAN : â˜Ž 07584047621 [Kent/London]
SHIVA : â˜Ž 07413363007 [Hampshire / London]

DOORS OPEN AT 6PM. The concert is scheduled to wrap up by 12AM – midnight.

1974AD #thenewlineup are:

Nirakar Yakthumba – Bass Guitar

Manoj Kumar KC – Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards and Backing Vocals

Sanjay Shrestha – Drums and Percussions

Rohit John Chettri – Vocals, Backing Vocals and Acoustic Guitar Prajjwal Mukhiya – Vocals, Backing vocals and Keyboards.

Jacko Wacko – Trumpet

Pratick Baniya – Trombone

Subhashkar Raj Rajkarnikar – Manager

Love And Relationship Shown In NAYA JHUL – Nepali Short Film

By

-

June 7, 2017

You might find it hard to bring these three things together, love, life and a mosquito net (jhul) but this short film NAYA JHUL does exactly that. Following the story of Ritu played by Sarmila Basnet, NAYA JHUL follows her passionate relationship with Sanjaya. I enjoyed the feel of the short-film. It came across natural and the ending was done in a touching manner.

With the story by Pramisha KC and direction by Mahesh Shrestha, the short-film was filmed in Pokhara. NAYA JHUL was also screened at the EKADESHMA International Short Film Festival 2016 and Pokhara International Mountain Film Festival 2016.

Nepali Belieber Aishwarya Rai’s Justin Bieber Adventure In Mumbai

By

-

June 6, 2017

[Nepali Fans At Justin Bieber’s Mumbai Concert]

Aishwarya-Rai-Purpose-Tattoo — PHOTO: Aishwarya Rai

When the SORRY singer JUSTIN BIEBER performed in India last month, it had actors, models to politicians braving the heat to enjoy the Purpose World Tour. One super-fan from Nepal spoke to lexlimbu.com and shared about her solo journey from Nepal to India to see Justin Bieber live for the very first time. Aishwarya Rai a loyal Belieber, had made many friends from all over the world after their shared love for the What Do You Mean singer and it was her Indian Belieber friends that were with her for three days as they waited for the arrival of Justin Bieber at the airport in Mumbai.

The long wait outside the airport was not only a challenge but brought an air of confusion as Beliebers were unsure of the exact terminal that the singer would be arriving in. Unfortunately, Aishwarya had faced a big hurdle before arriving in Mumbai when it came to buying her concert ticket in Nepal. With the tickets in huge demand, Rai struggled to use the payment gateway from Nepal and it was only through the help of her friend that she was able to secure her ticket to see the grand concert. The concert was everything she expected and more. After securing a spot towards the front, the Belieber snapped away in dozens for memories, Instagram and Snapchat.

As we exchanged messages online talking about her Justin Bieber experience in Mumbai. Rai, from her hotel room in Mumbai shared that she has given over a dozen interviews already after journalists and TV reporters from India ran stories about Justin Bieber fans. A story of a fan coming all the way from Nepal and camping outside the airport certainly caught the interest as she saw her photo and story on publications such as MID-DAY. The super-fan now has the date 2017.5.10, the date of the Purpose concert inked on her arm followed by the text ‘Purpose’ to mark the momentous day.

Inter-Uni Nepalese Dance Competition Returns On Friday!

By

-

June 6, 2017

[Read about 2016 Inter Uni Dance Competition]

The annual Inter-Uni Nepalese Dance Competition returns to Aldershot on Friday, 9th of June! The dance competition which initiated by the Uni of Surrey Nepalese Society is an annual celebration of dance as Nepalese students from participating universities come together, performing in different types of dances. The event on Friday will be hosted by the winning society of 2016, University of West England Nepalese Society.

PARTICIPATING UNIVERSITIES

Reading University

London South Banks University

Middlesex University

University of East London

Brunel University

Kingston University

University of Bournemouth

Tickets are on sale for the event with advance tickets at Â£10 and door sales at Â£12. The dance competition is slated for a 1PM start with judges Samir Gurung aka Sexy Shishi (BBOY/Parcha Founder), Sujata Rai (UK Talent Hunt Winner) and Bhawana Jimi (Dancer). Let’s just say this is going to be a tough competition as these three make an incredible trio of judges who all have quite the experience in dancing.

The competition will be followed by an after-party at the same venue, The Empire – Aldershot till 2AM. ID’s will be required for attendance (read more here).

Winning Dance Performance of 2016

Find Out How Emily Learned Nepali?

By

-

June 6, 2017

Foreigners speaking Nepali always captures my attention. I quickly wonder how and where they picked up the language! In this video, we get to find out how EMILY learned Nepali! Let’s just say that her reason easily beats everyones. Apparently, EMILY – known as Saraswati in Nepal :D, met a jhakri and after the jhakri did his magic – EMILY picked up Nepali. Lol. I really don’t know what to make of it. Maybe this video came two months late? A slight April Fools material maybe? Love it anyway! Great story! It’s a light post and I hope you have a good day!

JATAYU RECORDS Cover Of Ed Sheeran’s SHAPE OF YOU Is Everything!

By