Ken Subedi January 12, 2020

Need for English Subtitles in Nepali films to Represent in International Community

Long gone are the days when every Nepali movie used to be about a ‘hero’ falling in love with a ‘heroine’ and a ‘villain’ kidnapping her. These days, Nepali movies are worth watching- well, at least some of them are. Moreover, some films have been able to amass positive acclaims from the most prominent film magazines in the world and even won global accolades.

All this shows that the Nepali film sector is growing tremendously. Right now, it is in a position that many couldn’t even imagine a decade ago.

Anyway, more can be done. Nepali movies can reach and attract more international audiences if there are enough promotion and some work from the production side.

How Many People Understand Nepali Films?

The Nepali film industry, as of now, is a secluded market. First off, a tiny population of 17 million speak Nepali as their first language. Well, more can understand the language given our country’s population is at least 29.3 million; anyway, you know the catch. Only a little part of this population will actually visit the cinema and buy a ticket.

English Subtitles are Must

Having English subtitles in every Nepali film is a must if the sector wants to grow. Globalization is necessary, and it is almost too difficult for the Nepali film industry to sustain or develop with only the national recognition or the level of budget they have right now.

Being able to market outside Nepal means these movies will make more money, of course, will gain the ever-necessary hype and at the same time, can gather potential investors.

It is Not Only About the Business

After all, the movie is a kind of art. It represents your community- you create them to tell a story of your way of living.

Movies can help build our identity. International audiences can get an idea of where Nepal is and how Nepalis live.

The identity crisis is more severe than most of us think. Many around the world have not heard of Nepal- and among those who have, some think Nepal is a part of India or a country in Africa with extreme poverty. You could say this is not pleasant to hear, but it is true.

So, good Nepali films with a language option everyone can understand could be another way of identifying ourselves apart from Mt. Everest or Gautam Buddha’s Birthplace.

Examples are Many

We don’t need to look very far. Talk Indian film industry. They have millions of followers from all around the world, being the second largest film industry after Hollywood. Many people know about India from Bollywood.

Even in Nepal, the highest-grossing film is Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, grossing 20 crores, the competitor being Chakka Panja 3, which made around 18 crores in revenue. Well, it is a South Indian movie, but it’s the same thing.

With limited budgets, Nepali movies are more creative than Indian ones, don’t you think?

Another example includes Japanese animes. Millions, if not billions of people have watched animes, and many prefer watching in Japanese audio and English subtitles.

The thing is that even if we don’t have the budget right now, we still have the quality, recognition, and connections. So, we need to do everything that we can do to entice the global audience, and creating English subtitles is an integral part of it.