Zhigrana

Zhigrana
Directed by Pasang Lama
Produced by Santosh Shahi, Neev Pradhan, Pasang Lama
Written by Pasang Lama
Music by Iman Shah
Cinematography Shailendra D. Karki
Edited by Nimesh Shrestha
Production
company
Golden Yak Entertainment
Distributed by Popcorn Pictures
Release dates
 March 6, 2015
Running time
 120 mins
Country Nepal
Budget NPR 1,200,000

Zhigrana is a 2015 Nepali film written and directed by Pasang Lama.

This movie is suspense thriller movie which was produced by Golden Yak Entertainment. The movie has won two National Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and also won Best Screenplay for the NEFTA Awards in Nepal. This movie's debut actress is the first foreign actress (German) to star in a leading role acting and speaking in Nepali in the history of Nepali cinema. This movie was the first of its kind.

Plot

Christine Summers (Hanna Geschewski) is ready to leave for the United States after four years of working in an NGO in Nepal called Sano Paila. Before she leaves, her boss decides to send her for one last mission with her team to a very remote village in Rukum. Just a few nights before leaving for the mission she gets a very disturbing call from her estranged father. He had just been released from prison for killing Christine's mother. The call reminds Christine of all the physical abuse that she had to go through her entire childhood. Christine's boss Hari gives a farewell party along with the whole team for her as she will leave immediately after the mission. Her team includes Christine's best friend Shreeya (Shanti Giri) who is a Doctor. Smriti (Bina Pandey) who is Shreeya's sister and is also a nurse. Roger (Nikun Shrestha) who is half Spanish and half Nepali and is the team's videographer. Maya (Menuka Pradhan) who interviews and collects all data from mission and Roger's girlfriend. BK (Deewaker Piya) who is the team coordinator. They get introduced to their guide Ram (Jyoti Karki) in the party who will be taking them and bringing them back from the mission. Ram had just got released from prison for alleged murder and their Boss Hari is giving him a second chance. The group takes off for the mission in Rukum but there is a story all over the news that there has been several murders at the place they are going and murderer is still at loose. They say he could be sacrificing human life in the name of a mythical ghost "Kaal Panchami." They also say that the mythical ghost is back and he is the one doing all the murders. It is a two-day trek so they stop for the night in Beechpani. There they see an exorcism take place as the spirit of a child releases from the body and Shreeya passes out cold and faints. The next day BK goes to buy some snacks for the trek and he thinks it would be funny to feed his group some cooked magic mushrooms that the shop was selling as a snack. When they start trekking the team hallucinates and gets lost, the guide loses track of where they are going, and by the time they are back to normal they are lost. They find a house in small village called Zhigrana where Baaje, a Grandpa (Arun Regmi), and his grandchild Chandre takes them in for the night. As the team is happy to find a house and food to eat they have a bit of fun at a bonfire with song and dance. During the party as everybody is going to bed we see Roger and Smriti fooling around cheating on Maya which is seen by Christine as she records it in a video camera. The next morning when Shreeya doesn't find her sister next to her, she goes out looking for her. She is a bit taken back by a beautiful surrounding forest and lake which she walks on the little bamboo pier that's built over it. As she is looking at her reflection the dead body of her sister covered in fish net just comes in front of her face that drives her backward to the lake. As she is screaming trying to get her sister out the rest of the team wakes up and helps her. Roger gets blamed because he was the last person to be seen with her and it’s on camera and he gets locked up. Shreeya calls the police but since it’s so far it will take a whole day for them to come. As they are waiting for the police in the other house Maya goes to see Roger to confront him of his cheating with Smriti. As she is convinced that he is not the killer and decides to run away, Maya gets killed with a sickle. The other house Shreeya wants to talk to Maya and as the group goes out only to find her dead. Now they know that Roger is not the Killer. Christine finds a sickle in the scene and calls out for Chandre as he had that when he scared with a goats head. Baaje gets angry at them of how they can blame a small child. Ram clears the misunderstanding that they just want to question him. Baaje goes looking out for his grandson. Meanwhile Christine and Shreeya goes to look for a sheet to cover Mayas body in Baaje's place. Shreeya finds something very disturbing and horrific where Baaje uses for sacrifice, with blood everywhere. She shows it to Christine and the rest of the team. They go out searching for Baaje but doesn't find him. It’s dark and raining. When they are waiting BK goes out to change his clothes. Team gets worried that he is not back in time and as they are leaving they meet him right at the door. As he is coming in he gets struck by an axe by Baaje. He's going on about how they could kill a small boy. When Ram is trying to make him understand his grandson is not killed, Baaje is going crazy swinging his axe, Christine grabs a knife and kills Baaje. BK seriously injured, Ram stays with him and the rest goes to get medical kit. Shreeya sends Roger to get some wood for fire and Christine to get some medical kit while she prepares to boil hot water. As Roger is picking pieces of wood from the pile of wood and finds Chandre's body covered with wood. As he goes to tell Christine and Shreeya he finds Shreeya dead and Christine badly hurt. When he asks who did this, Christine takes Rams name. Ram comes in the scene to tell the guys BK is dead. He questions Roger but roger is furious as he thinks Ram is acting. They get into a bloody fight where both them gets killed. The next morning the police come and find Christine alive. They take her outside and she is in shock seeing all her friends in body bags. As she is crying she gets a flashback of her going to a psychiatrist, the Psychiatrist explaining her aunt because of the abuse and the death of her mother Christine has a condition called dissociative identity disorder. She has three personalities – Christine, Christy and Chris – who live peacefully together insider her. But when the fourth personality Christopher comes to life then she and people around her are in danger. Anything that has to do with her father and anything that reminds her of her past will trigger it and will come to life. Then she remembers how she switches to Christopher and kills Smriti, Maya, Shreeya, Baaje, Chandre etc. The Doctor had mentioned that if she doesn't take care of her condition then Christopher will take over completely and when it does, there is no going back.

Cast

Hanna Geschewski: This is Hanna's first feature and debut acting. She is of a German background. She is fluent in Nepali and has also sung one song in the movie. She plays Christine, an American living in Nepal in an NGO called Sano Paila for the past four years who can speak fluently in Nepali. She is the head team leader and she will be going back in after her last mission.

Shanti Giri Shanti Giri is a theater actor. She has played in movies such as Fitkiri, Ahdyaya etc. She plays Shreeya, a role of a team doctor for the NGO Sano Paila. Her character is the best friend of Hanna's and has sister Smriti working for the same NGO. She is very superstitious and protective of her sister.

Jyoti Karki: This is Jyoti Karki's first movie in a leading role. He plays Ram, a Guide that takes the responsibility of taking the NGO team to the mission and back. He had just been released from prison for the alleged murder of his wife's love partner.

Nikun Shrestha: Nikun Shrestha is a well-known Club DJ in Kathmandu, Nepal. He got his first break in the movie "Chadke" the most revenue grossing movie in a single weekend in the history of Nepali Cinema. Nikun plays Roger, half Spanish and half Nepali, who is a videogrpher by profession and takes all the footages for the NGO. He is also in relationship with another character Maya but also has a side relationship with another character Smriti.

Menuka Pradhan: Menuka Pradhan is a theater actor. She has played in movies like Visa Girl, Ek Din Ek Raat, and Vigilante etc. She is very well known for the most hit song of from movie Resham Filili called "Jaalma". Menuka plays Maya, who takes all interviews of people, data of the villages they visit. She is also in love with Roger despite of his unfaithfulness in the past. She was nominated for best supporting actress for NEFTA awards 2015.

Deewakar Piya: Dewaaker plays BK, the most comedic role in the movie. His character doesn't take anything seriously and plays as the coordinator of the NGO team.

Bina Pandey: Bina is Make-up Artist by profession. She plays a character of Smriti who plays a nurse in the NGO. She is also Shreeyas sister and in sexual relationship with Roger.

Arun Regmi: Arun Regmi is the most veteran actor in this movie. He has played a lot of movies in the past and is also a production Manager by profession. Arun plays Baaje, a grandpa who lives in the village of Zhigrana with his grandson in the past. His character is also an exorcist who makes sacrifices for spirits to go away.

Production

Production began the October of 2013. The cast and crew went to shoot for 32 working days. The movie was shot in Rupa Lake close to Pokhara, the highway to Pokhara and Kathmandu. The set of village Zhigrana built in Rupa lake was one of the biggest sets built in Nepali film Industry. The art director "Prakaash Chandwadkar" was nominated for best Art Direction in NEFTA awards 2015. The Post Production went on for about a year. The entire sound of movie was done in a very well-known studio in Bombay called the Mukta Arts Studio.

Release

Zhigrana was released in March 6, 2015. It was very well received by the viewers and the critics. It brought new audience to the Nepali film Industry and after watching the movie viewers saying Nepalese movies are getting better and reaching new heights with good original stories.

Controversy

The Censor Board of Nepal removed an intimate scene between Roger and Maya from the movie Zhigrana. After removing they were still given an A certificate. The production company Golden Yak Entertainment was unsatisfied why the movie was being given an a certificate when all the Adult scenes were taken out. Later Golden Yak released the intimate scene on YouTube.

Awards and nominations

Zhigrana won two National Awards out of seven for best cinematography and best editing. Zhigrana also won best screenplay from NEFTA awards.

Soundtrack

References

  1. ↑ http://thehimalayantimes.com/entertainment/president-yadav-confers-national-film-awards/
  2. ↑ http://xnepali.net/movies/nefta-awards-winners-full-list/
  3. ↑ http://www.nepalifilm.net/2015/02/12/zhigranas-bed-scene-removed/
  4. ↑ http://alukhet.com/video/695853/german-girl-hanna-g-singing-nepali-song-mai-runchu-by-diwas-gurung.html
  5. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4448446/
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