Nirmal Sharma

Prem Bahadur Basnet is a Nepali film director known for his contribution to the early development of Nepali cinema and for directing the culturally important film Kumari.After completing his B.Ed., Basnet received scholarships to study abroad, including one from a university in Hawaii, USA, and another to study scriptwriting at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, India. While many students at the time were going to the United States for higher education, Basnet chose to pursue film studies in Pune because of his strong interest in cinema.He studied there for two years, going to Pune in 1962 and returning to Nepal in 1964. After returning, he worked at Nepal’s Information Department, where he became involved in cultural and media-related activities.Having studied filmmaking, Basnet was more interested in creating original and artistic films rather than purely commercial cinema. During this period, when Nepal was invited to represent the country in international film festivals, he decided to make a film based on the living goddess Kumari tradition of the Newar community in Kathmandu.This idea eventually led to the creation of Kumari, which became an important cultural film portraying Nepal’s traditions and social life. Through his work, Prem Bahadur Basnet helped introduce culturally rooted and artistic storytelling to Nepali cinema.

Santosh Panta is a renowned Nepali comedian, actor, director, and songwriter. He is best known for his iconic sitcom Hijo Aaja Ka Kura, which aired on Nepal Television and addressed contemporary social issues. The show ran for an impressive 13 years with 699 episodes and later returned for 117 episodes on Kantipur Television. It also served as a platform for many Nepali comedians, including Deepak Raj Giri and Deepa Shree Niraula. Santosh Panta began his acting journey at the age of 7 and has appeared in around 30 movies, including Badalido Aakash and Chauka Dau. The first film he made was ‘April Fool’. He has acted in more than 2,000 series. He has also directed and acted in various Gaijatra comedy performances, theater productions, and television series. Additionally, he was a judge on the reality show Comedy Champion.

Taiyab Shah is a veteran Nepali actor and producer, renowned for his versatile character and comedic roles in the country’s film industry. Debuting in the mid-1990s, he’s appeared both on-screen and behind the scenes—often serving as producer on his projects.

Ramesh Budhathoki has so far acted in 1,200 teleserials and in about five dozen movies. Moreover, he has also directed 11 movies. He also holds the record for making Nepal’s longest teleserial of 980 episodes which ran on Nepal 1 television from 2004 to 2007. Budhathoki also made Nepal’s first teleserial called Bacha Birseko Chaina (Haven’t Forgotten Promise) in 1986.