Silu (film)
| Silu | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Pradeep Rimal |
| Produced by | Prem Baniya and Dan B. Maharjan |
| Written by | Dev Krishna Ranjit and Prem Baniya |
| Starring |
Jay Shrestha Nabina Shrestha Madan Krishna Shrestha Hari Bansha Acharya |
Release dates |
|
| Country | Nepal |
| Language | Nepal Bhasa |
Silu (1987) is the first film to be made in Nepal Bhasa.[1] The movie depicts the pain of separation of a couple from Kathmandu after the wife gets kidnapped while on a pilgrimage in the Himalaya, and the sufferings her husband goes through to get her back from her captors.
The musical film is based on a ballad in Nepal Bhasa written in the early 19th century which describes a journey to Silu, the sacred lake known as Gosaikunda located in the Himalaya. There is a belief in Newar society that a husband and wife should not make the trip together as it could result in a misfortune.[2][3]
Plot
The first part of the movie is about the hero and the heroine falling in love and getting married. Then the story from the song starts. The husband and his friends decide to go on a pilgrimage to Silu. When the wife finds out about the plan, she insists on coming too. He reminds her of the tradition that it is not done, and that it could lead to their separation.
But she tags along with them, and the party reaches Silu. On the return trip, the wife is kidnapped, the husband's friends desert them, and he rescues her with the help of a passing holy man after a big fight.[4]
Cast
Jay Shrestha as the husband, Nabina Shrestha as the wife, Madan Krishna Shrestha and Hari Bansha Acharya.
The song
The song "Silu" is one of the Newar seasonal songs and is played during August, when pilgrims usually visit Silu to take part in the ritual bathing festival that climaxes on the full moon.
According to the song, when the husband and wife reach Silu, the king sends soldiers to take her away and makes her his queen. The depressed husband leaves home and becomes an ascetic. One day, the queen asks that all the ascetics be assembled to give them alms. She spots her husband among them, and slips away with him disguised as a nun.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ "Silu - First Newari Movie". Nepali Movies. 12 November 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ↑ Lienhard, Siegfried (1992). Songs of Nepal: An Anthology of Nevar Folksongs and Hymns. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas. ISBN 81-208-0963-7. Page 80.
- ↑ Macdonald, Alexander W. (1975) Essays on the Ethnology of Nepal and South Asia. Bibliotheca Himalayica. Ratna Pustak Bhandar. Page 305.
- ↑ Grandin, Ingemar (1989) Music and Media in Local Life: Music Practice in a Newar Neighbourhood in Nepal. Linköping University. ISBN 978-91-7870-480-4. Pages 21, 28.
- ↑ Lienhard, Siegfried (1992). Songs of Nepal: An Anthology of Nevar Folksongs and Hymns. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas. ISBN 81-208-0963-7. Page 80.