“फ्रीमा फिल्म हेर्छन् दर्शक”, निर्देशक ज्ञानेन्द्र देउजाको दाबी"Audiences Are Watching Free," Claims Director Gyanendra Deuja

A growing habit of producers buying tickets to their own films to make shows look full was the main complaint at an interaction organized by the Film Journalists' Association Nepal. At the Thursday event, themed 'Film Market and Promotion Style', directors, producers and an actor called the practice harmful for the industry.

According to people familiar with the market, some producers spend lakhs of rupees on tickets just to fill shows. There are also claims that tickets for Nepali films can be found free at shops in parts of Kathmandu such as Anamnagar, Putalisadak, Naya Bus Park and Baghbazar.

Director and producer Gyanendra Deuja said his film 'Jhingedau 2' failed precisely because tickets weren't bought. In his view, when producers buy tickets themselves, real audiences stop showing up even on the first Friday and Saturday. He claimed viewers across the country, from Mechi to Mahakali, are watching free, and warned that the industry could shut down within a year at this rate.

'Kabaddi 5' director Rambabu Gurung said buying a limited number of tickets to show a film to select people is normal. But the scale people talk about in the market now is a distortion, he said, and it will never come from him.

Actress Rekha Thapa also made clear she would never buy tickets. In her view, if a film can't run without her buying tickets, then so be it, but the practice must end.

Director Dipendra Lama pointed out that this is not new. Around 2057-58 BS, a film needed 25 percent occupancy at Biswojyoti to hold over, or it would be pulled, and producers bought tickets for that. But what is happening now, he said, has reached a distorted and wrong level.