| Username |
Post |
| ashu |
Posted
on 11-Jul-02 11:23 PM
Hi all,
Good news for die-hard movie-lovers like myself in Kathmandu.
After waiting for some months, Jai Nepal Cinema Hall -- the one near Kamal Pokhari -- has now been converted to a spanking new cinema ghar.
So, friends, let's go watch "Spiderman" tomorrow at 5 pm.
Check the details on the Web site:
www.jainepal.com
oohi
"happy that now we can watch good movies in a well-made theater"
ashu
ktm,nepal
Its Website says:
"The oldest cinema in the Kingdom, Jai Nepal has been providing quality entertainment for over 50 years. Ideally located at the center of Kathmandu the new Jai Nepal aims to give you an unforgettable experience. One of total safety, luxurious comfort and sensational audio-visuals.
Visit use to check out our brand new look. We now have a fully refurbished interior with a fully carpet hall, top-of-the-line chairs, concession counters and toilets, and central air conditioning.
We now have great acoustics coupled with state-of-art sound system and projection. For the first time in Nepal, we now have a truly complete Dolby Digital Sound System. Our amplifiers and speakers are from JBL, the leader in theater sound reproduction. Our projectors are Century Projectors from Strong, another leader of the industry. Yet another first for the country are our Xenon Bulb projectors for superior visuals.
Jai Nepal is now managed by Vision Quest Private Limited."
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| ashu |
Posted
on 11-Jul-02 11:31 PM
Kathmandu already has a great coffee house: Himalayan Java in Thamel.
There are many great restaurants.
Now comes this movie theater.
If only some would start an outlet of Borders or Barnes & Noble . . . and if someone
else would start a music store offering a wide selection of music, then, Kathmandu
would be one helluva better city to live and work :-)
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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| insomnia |
Posted
on 11-Jul-02 11:32 PM
Indeed it's gonna be a great experience for us to get to see recent blockbusters in Nepal.
Good job ! I'm sure I won't miss USA that much in Nepal :) thanks to jainepal movies !
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| ashu |
Posted
on 11-Jul-02 11:41 PM
It's not so much as missing the USA in Nepal. :-)
Nepal is Nepal and USA is USA.
A better explanation could be: More and more young professionals with some foreign (Western) exposure worldwide tend to share a lot of interests (in terms of movies, food, movies, and so on) with one other these days in ways that were unimaginable 30 years ago.
An evidence in favor of globalization, indeed!!
Tetti ho.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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| insomnia |
Posted
on 11-Jul-02 11:51 PM
>It's not so much as missing the USA in Nepal. :-)
Nepal is Nepal and USA is USA.
Ashu, good point there ! You're the king in solid comments :)
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| 00 |
Posted
on 12-Jul-02 12:07 AM
Great change! I remember those times of Nepali Halls, when they smelled like toilets, and inside, people smoke ciggerates freely. But I went to see movies. Those were the days, when a movie of Amitabh Bacchan cost me as high as Rs 100 (which would otherwise cost you Rs 5 in the sales counter).
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 12-Jul-02 12:24 AM
Hi Ashu,
Good to read about JaiNepal's movies. Btw, is KFA still active? I want to fulfill
my promise, and I tried to do that a lot of times (ask Villagevoice:-) ). Anil
Bhattarai's brother had a dream: to make a cinema library in Nepal where
people can check out old movies for free, something like public libraries here in
USA. I hope KFA is still active. I don't have as big a dream as that of Mr
Bhattarai, but I sure want to help others who dare to dream.
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| Logical Sense |
Posted
on 12-Jul-02 08:18 AM
Very true "Nepal is Nepal and USA is USA".
But I take it one step further and enjoy 'insitu'. I have been in similar situations, between Nepal and USA. And my idea is not to mix up on the enjoyment, and try to compare least.
Enjoy Sekuwa from Putali Sadak while in Kathmandu, and Jamba Juice while in California.
Bringing Jamba Juice or Barn's and Nobble in Nepal? Hmm, I am not so sure. How about cleaner Thela Ko Juice? Fancy Mamacha House? Remodelled Ratna Pustak Bhandar? Serves many purposes.
That is more like "Nepal is Nepal and USA is USA".
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| yella |
Posted
on 12-Jul-02 08:34 AM
what's wrong with pilgrim's book store or the myriad other bookstores in ktm? borders and barnes and boble are nothing but two monstrous corporations running local mom and pop establishments out of business in cities across the us. i am afraid you might say next we need mickey ds in ktm. great that jay nepal has been revamped. that's better than say amc threater setting up shop there.
essentially logical sense is right... don't mix up the two... nepal is nepal and the us is us. it is nice when you get the convinience and comforts of the us is found in nepal. but those "modern" touches are not necessary to validate existnece in nepal. if we can look at what we have and do those better... well that's better.
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| pramod |
Posted
on 12-Jul-02 08:42 AM
I'm for enjoying KFC in the USA and Momo at a better cleaner Momo Stall in Nepal.
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| Mitra 2 |
Posted
on 12-Jul-02 08:43 AM
That's a good news.
Now, its time for someone to step up and build an I-MAX theatre in KTM. I'm confident that it would be a very profitable business. I wish I had money to start this up!
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| def |
Posted
on 12-Jul-02 09:09 AM
Finally, a much needed quality moive theater. Enjoy folks!
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| question |
Posted
on 12-Jul-02 10:29 AM
def,
any idea when ranjana was opened? before this, i thought ranjana was the first, not jai nepal. i'd love to see ranjana remodeled.
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| def |
Posted
on 12-Jul-02 10:59 AM
question,
Sorry, I can't help you there. However, its website (www.jainepal.com) claims to be the oldest cinema in the kingdom. Last time I watched a movie at Jai Nepal was "Caravan" (aka Himalaya) in early 2001. It wasn't a pleasant experience. I haven't been to Ranjana for almost 20 years. No doubt, lots of movie theaters in Nepal need renovation. Movie theaters are no longer a Cash Cow like it used to be. It used to be the only source of entertainment just a decade or so ago. With TVs, Internet and In-Home-Start-of-the-art-theaters, only time will tell if Jai Nepal made a wise decision in current cine-economic condition. Nevertheless, kudos to the investors for taking a risk.
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| ashu |
Posted
on 13-Jul-02 09:54 AM
Hi guys,
24 of us friends and some of our relatives met this Saturday evening at Jai Nepal
Cinema Ghar and watched the evening show of "Spiderman". The hall was packed!!
And all of us came away quite impressed: The picture was crisp; the sound, clear; air-condition was just right for this July ko heat; plenty of popcorn and Coke; plus the crowd was of people who looked like they could well afford Rs. 100-plus per person per show.
An altogether a very pleasant experience -- an experience I hope to repeat and repeat.
(And no, this is NOT an ad, and no, I don't get discounts for writing this here :-)
On another note, Biswo, KFA will put on its final show at the Russian Cultural Center later this summer, and, after that, we will call it quits. Plans are already underway for this FINAL show.
We want to call it quits after the last show for this reason:
When we, as volunteers with few resources, started the Kathmandu Film Archive in September 2000 at Martin Chautari, there was NOT a regular show of the kind of movies we wanted to see. Now, in the last two years, we have seen much new developpment in the market here. This new theater is in; plus cultural centers and embassies are now regularly putting on movie festivals , and so there's this "crowding-in" effect in the market.
And all that is very good -- also a good time for us VOLUNTEERS to make our exit from this market and let the professionals take over. Being only movie-lovers who are busy with, alas, non-movie careers, we will be happy to be the audience munching the popcorn from now on!!
You are welcome to send the casssettes: maybe we'll have a monthy movie discussion club established at Chautari, where they now have TV and VCR.
********
Re: why Borders and B & N?
The book-stores in Kathmandu do NOT carry a wide selection of books: books in genetics, political science, public policy, economics, philosophy, literature, music and art and even cooking. One good book I could find and read recently was: "A beautiful mind" by Sylvia Nasar -- and I recommend that book to all of you.
Pilgrims Book House in Thamel and in Kupondole charges way too much for most books, and often in a slimey way. Mandala is a good book-store: but its offerings are dominantly either Penguin India ko books or Oxford University Press ko books. Educational Enterprises sells mostly education-related books, and Ratna Book Bhandar
is in the "exam guidebook" business. Ekta Book Store in Man Bhawan is oK, but, like I said, as a consumer, I want to have a wider selections of books, magazines, music and coffee. :-)
More than that, I guess, my idea of an enjoyable pre-dinner hour on a Sunday
would be to sip Cafe Latte while flipping through the latest issue of The New Yorker
in a book-store. Maybe the day will come in Kathmandu :-)
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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| neer |
Posted
on 13-Jul-02 10:12 AM
Ashuji, How about 'Sarashwoti Book Bhandar(where I bought some simple language phoisophical books of S.K. Radhakrishanan; many years ago)' in front of Insitute of Enginering and 'Himalayan Book Stores' in Bagbazar. I also like them(Ratna Pustak Bhandar in Bagbazar also, not that one in bhotahiti)
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 13-Jul-02 06:15 PM
Ashu,
That's kind of sad news, isn't it? The demise of a tradition. But there is a happier note
in your message too, so I won't be sorry.
I hope to get someone for the cassettes. You tell me if you have some friends
coming to Nepal, if they don't mind doing this job.
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| ashu |
Posted
on 14-Jul-02 10:46 PM
Biswo,
Thanks a million for all your support and words of encouragement re: the KFA.
I greatly appreciate it.
I'll let you know as soon as I find someone heading this way from the US.
On another note, Neer-ji, yes, Sarswoti Book Center -- and extension of Ratna
Book Distributors -- in Pulchowk (right next to Downtown Restaurant) is a good one:
but again, there selections are limited, though the proprietor there -- Mr. Suresh Shrestha -- is good at getting the book one wants from India.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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| nepali times |
Posted
on 15-Jul-02 01:04 AM
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/ntimes/issue102/city.htm
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