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Dhurba Neupane from Hetauda doesn’t quite know how the thought “I want to be a hero someday, if I get the chance” first entered his mind.
Though he can’t recall when it started, the desire to become an artist only grew stronger as he matured. He had the passion—but had never really considered what kind of artist he could be.
He had dreams, yes—but no clear path to reach them. There was no one in the industry he knew well enough to seek support or guidance from.
“Not everyone gets to fulfill their dreams. Wanting something and actually getting it are two very different things,” he reflects on his childhood ambitions.
Eventually, he tucked those dreams away and began focusing on earning money.
Circumstances brought him from Hetauda to Kathmandu. There, he opened Rosemary Café in New Baneshwor and started a restaurant business. As the café was in a prime location, it attracted artists and filmmakers—opening the door to new connections.
“As I got to know people, conversations began. Filmmakers encouraged me, saying, ‘Someone like you should be in the glamorous world,’” he recalled.
That encouragement reignited his childhood dream of becoming an actor. He began his career with music videos. “I must have done about 50 of them,” he says.
During that time, he got an opportunity to work in feature films.
By then, he had established good relationships with people in the Nepali film industry, which led to a break in a film called Plan.
He then went on to act in about half a dozen films like Santrash, Crime, The Crime, and Payal. When asked if he had to pay to get roles due to his business background, he replied, “I didn’t pay to act in any films—in fact, I even worked for free in some.”
Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Despite his passion, his acting career didn’t move forward as hoped. So, he decided to stay in the film industry as a producer.
“Rather than pursuing acting, I made a plan to become a producer. It felt like fulfilling my dream in a different way. I want to move forward with a business mindset,” he says.
When acting didn’t yield expected results, he turned to film production. Under the banner Dhurbatara Films, he produced Hero Returns. But the COVID-19 pandemic affected its release, and the film flopped.
“No point in lying—it didn’t do well. But that’s how business works—you never know which film will succeed. You just have to make the one you believe in,” he says.
Dhurba is not afraid of failure.
Active in various businesses, he continues his search for success.
“I’m not someone who collapses after one failure. I returned as a producer with Mayavi, and although it too didn’t perform well, I’ve accepted that and am now coming back with Narasimha Avatar,” he shares.
He is confident that this film will perform well.
“I’m not just a producer—I’m entering the second innings of my film career with plans to operate a strong production house. I’ve already got the lighting equipment, and the camera is on the way,” he says.
With full confidence, he declares, “Dhurbatara Films will produce at least one film every year.”
Being a co-investor in a Class ‘A’ construction company called Chetana Construction and Hotel Moonstar, his confidence is not without reason.
It seems Dhurba’s journey as a film producer is now set to go the long distance.
He says: “I won’t stop trying.”
