Pragyan

At the intersection of journalism and sociology in Kathmandu Valley. I also write about movies at @nepcinematheque

[Pragyan @PragyanTG]

Examining the investigation report as well as initial news coverage and popular conspiracy theories around the royal massacre, I explore why 25 years on- many (and likely most) Nepalis still don't believe the official narrative for @WeeklyKalam

https://t.co/TfPK63lhbr

[Kalam Weekly @WeeklyKalam]

"Even if investigation were to be reopened, its cogency would be compromised by the time that has elapsed.."
— by @PragyanTG for @WeeklyKalam
The Royal Massacre: Anatomy of a conspiracy

https://t.co/N9jLHK8DoJ

[Kalam Weekly @WeeklyKalam]

This week, read our deep by @PragyanTG on the conspiracies theories surrounding the 2001 royal massacre. (2/2)

https://t.co/N9jLHK8DoJ

[Kalam Weekly @WeeklyKalam]

Many continue to believe there is no definitive conclusion on what happened and who was ultimately responsible for the royal massacre. Twenty-five years later, this gaping hole in the national imagination continues to haunt the collective memory of Nepalis. (1/2)

[The Nepali Cinematheque @nepcinematheque]

For our next issue, we will be reviewing Min Bahadur Bham's Kalo Pothi- the story of two young boys from Mugu who set out to find a dear lost hen as social barriers and the intensifying civil war complicate their search and friendship.

[The Nepali Cinematheque @nepcinematheque]

Till then, ICYMI read our last review- of crime drama Chiso Ashtray (2022) which @PragyanTG argues offers more in style than substance

https://t.co/W077EzMD9m

[Pragyan @PragyanTG]

Read my latest for the Nepali Cinematheque here 👇
https://t.co/5VtTq7CJFt

[The Nepali Cinematheque @nepcinematheque]

"Writer and director Dins Palpali moulds his characters into a certain ilk of hip male centric Hollywood gangster- replete with not so subtle nods to some of its exemplifiers like Scorsese, Tarantino and Winding Refn." Read our review of Chiso Ashtray.

https://t.co/W077EzMD9m

[The Nepali Cinematheque @nepcinematheque]

We have a whole bunch of categories, so feel free to suggest movies that you might not have thought were great overall but really good in one aspect or the other like acting, cinematography, VFX, etc

[The Nepali Cinematheque @nepcinematheque]

Hello all, we're currently in the process of shortlisting films for our "best of" list and awards for 2082 BS. With this, we're asking you to recommend your favorite Nepali films that came out this year.

[David Sirota @davidsirota]

I get that this is an unpopular view but:

We need more journalists & fewer pundits.

We need more original reporting & fewer hot takes riffing off the news.

We don't have this because reporting takes work and is difficult & pontificating on YouTube is lazy & easy.

[Pragyan @PragyanTG]

On this note, some of my favorite movies out of Hong Kong:

[christian @speederaserhead]

Been watching a lot of Hong Kong movies lately, can’t recommend this enough

[Pragyan @PragyanTG]

"Ironically for a movie where the value of “dimāg” is such an important motif, it is best enjoyed without putting much thought into"; I write about Loot (2012; dir: Nischal Basnet) 👇

[The Nepali Cinematheque @nepcinematheque]

"Eclectic and idiosyncratic for better and for worse; Loot’s flaws threaten to override its entertainment value". Read our review of Nischal Basnet's 2012 blockbuster heist movie starring Saugat Malla and Dayahang Rai.

https://t.co/vtfPsLC5Ox

[Kalam Weekly @WeeklyKalam]

As March is women’s month, revisit some pieces celebrating women's history, stories, and reports from the Kalam archive:

[The Nepali Cinematheque @nepcinematheque]

Till then, read our review of Bhusan Dahal's Kagbeni by @PragyanTG ; which preceded Loot by 4 years and is alongside it, often cited as a groundbreaking film that ushered in a new wave of Nepali cinema

https://t.co/no6OiJveWx

[The Nepali Cinematheque @nepcinematheque]

Coming tomorrow! Our review of Nischal Basnet’s directorial debut, Loot- once the highest grossing Nepali movie of all time and widely recognized as the first heist movie to have come out of Nepal.  

Available for free streaming here:
https://t.co/XyUIgeKDm7

[The Nepali Cinematheque @nepcinematheque]

With a new adaptation of Guru Prasad Mainali's short story Paral ko Aago announced for April, now is the perfect time to revisit our review by @pragyantg of its first cinematic iteration from 1978; directed by Pratap Subba.

https://t.co/N55yzLbaXg

[The Nepali Cinematheque @nepcinematheque]

Jaari shares with the popular Nepali films exploring domestic violence that came before it an overaching social messaging that while sympathetic to the plight of the victim; is equally-if not more- sympathetic to the abuser. Read our review by @PragyanTG

https://t.co/FWykfPYCH9

[The Nepali Cinematheque @nepcinematheque]

“The cogency of Kagbeni’s establishing naturalism, not requiring much suspension of disbelief, works to further accentuate the legitimacy and affect of its passage into the paranormal.” Read our review of the dark and otherworldy Kagbeni by @PragyanTG

https://t.co/no6OiJveWx

[The Nepali Cinematheque @nepcinematheque]

“Hippie era” Kathmandu through two foreign films- from The Pleasure Pit (1969) to Haré Krishna Haré Rama (1971). Read our latest feature by @PragyanTG

https://t.co/GUhEtH851V

[The Nepali Cinematheque @nepcinematheque]

"Unko Sweater's main characters Phool and Dharani represent a nostalgic iteration of love and courtship that now seems to only exist in the past" writes @PragyanTG

Read the full review here:
https://t.co/6B4bOP6F9Y