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Kathmandu. While busy editing and directing music videos, director Jeevan Senchuri once dreamed of making a film. Today, that dream has come true with the movie ‘Juna: Ek Byatha’. The film is set to release this Friday.
There is a unique story behind Jeevan’s involvement with the film. While Jeevan was sitting in his office in Gongbu, Kathmandu, he met the writer Raj Bahadur Sane. During that meeting, Jeevan shared his idea of making a film with the characters he wanted to create. Jeevan recalls, “I told him the story in one line, and I mentioned that I would cast these characters. When I told him I wanted to make a film on a small budget, he helped me refine the story.”
After receiving the script from Raj Bahadur Sane, Jeevan initially created a 42-minute short film. With an investment of 7 lakh rupees, after editing and reviewing the short film, Jeevan decided to make a larger film instead. “After watching the film, I felt the story didn’t do justice. I even cried while watching it,” he said.
After deciding to make the film, Jeevan and Sane spent three years rewriting the script of ‘Juna: Ek Byatha’. Once the script was finalized, Jeevan searched for 32 locations for filming. He traveled from Kathmandu to Manang and Mustang to find the right locations. “It wasn’t enough just to find the locations. We needed help from the locals, and the locations had to match the story. After finding the right location, I impulsively chose a spot in Parbat,” he explains.
Once the script was finalized, he met the producer Deepak Prasad Ghimire. According to Jeevan, when he told Deepak, “I will live or die through this film,” Deepak agreed to invest in the movie.
Jeevan faced a major challenge in finding the lead actress for the film. “I met almost 75 girls for the main character. I called them to my office and asked them to perform a few scenes. Then, I would also give them some situations to act out. But most of the girls got scared after hearing about the film’s climax. We tried to reassure them, telling them not to be afraid, but many still didn’t agree,” Jeevan recalls.
According to Jeevan, the main character required a face that was “slightly dark” and “innocent.” He found this in Asmita Dhakal on Facebook. “Asmita was very interested in acting in films. However, her mother did not want her daughter to act in films. After some convincing, her mother finally agreed. We rented a culture center near her house and trained Asmita for 13 months. At that time, Asmita was only 11 years old,” Jeevan says.
Jeevan considers ‘Juna: Ek Byatha’ to be a motivational film. “When we look back at our lives and compare them to the lives of our parents, there is a huge difference. This is the theme of the film. In the past, parents would pressure their children to get married, but today, they say, ‘Don’t.’ In the past, children would cry, today it’s the parents. After watching this film, parents will reflect and think, ‘I made a mistake with my children. I shouldn’t have done that.’ Children will also reflect on their parents’ actions,” Jeevan says about the film.
According to Jeevan, Asmita never used glycerin in her eyes during the shoot. “The film required Asmita to cry from morning till evening. None of the actors used glycerin. Everyone acted naturally,” he recalls. Since the film depicts a story that is nearly 40 years old, it was quite challenging to match the time period in the film.
Produced by Deepak Prasad Ghimire and directed by Jeevan Senchuri, ‘Juna: Ek Byatha’ stars Asmita Dhakal, Krishna Prasad Dhital, Deshbhakt Khanal, Rashmi Bhatt, Kamal Bohora, Asmita Basnet, and Khagendra Nyaupane.
Photo: Surendra Thapa
