Cast: Priyanka Karki, Aryan Sigdel, Sumina Ghimire, Prajwol Sujal Giri, Shishir SJB Rana, Loonibha Tuladhar (Known as Pawankali of Kantipur TV)
Directed By: Sudeep Bhupal Singh “Bobbie”

When is the last time you watched a good Nepali horror movie? Mala is a very scary horror movie about the spirit of a dead girl that haunts people responsible for her death. Directed by Sudeep Bhupal Singh (“Bobbie”), “Mala” is a horror movie starring Priyanka Karki as Mala. The picture also features Aryan Sigdel in the lead role and Sumina Ghimire, Loonibha Tuladhar (Pawankali of Kantipur TV) in supporting roles.

How much do you believe in ghosts? I think there are very less people who don’t believe in ghosts. If you are a science student, you may try your best to somehow prove it wrong. But you have to admit that there have been many evidences of spirits that science is still struggling to prove. Personally, I believe in spirits and this belief has got even stronger after watching science fiction Hollywood movie “Interstellar” which defines about other dimensions such as time and love. Yes, there are many probabilities that some other dimensions might exists which we’ve never imagined and where spirits wander. In the movie, Mala is a girl who was married from a village and sold in India. Human trafficking in Nepal is a serious concern.

“The trafficking of girls from Nepal into India for forced prostitution is perhaps one of the busiest slave trafficking routes anywhere in the world; with estimated 5,000-10,000 Nepali women and girls trafficked to India each year.” – Wikipedia

Poverty is one of the greatest factors that make girls vulnerable to trafficking. Because of poverty, it’s easy to tempt girls or even their parents for marriage. After marriage, it will be easier for them to sell her to the brothels of India. This movie has attempted to portray the condition of a girl named Mala who had similar past. They say it’s the way the story is told rather than how it is, that makes a better film. ‘Mala’ has very fine storytelling and then the message delivered must be appreciated. Maybe after watching this movie, traffickers may hold some fear inside to stop them from betraying others. There is another important message from this movie. Whenever you are going for organ transplant, make sure that the donor of the organ has approved it. Otherwise, the outcome can be worse than death.

The makeup artist did a terrific job to transform beautiful Priyanka to Mala. Her dead body hanging in the tree was even more terrifying. It was good to see every actor performing their best, which is a plus. Priyanka’s performance was undeniably flawless, which was vital since the story revolved round her. Pawankali’s act as ‘Mata’ was exceptional and much terrifying. I panicked the most when she spoke the words of Mala. Background score was really scary and very helpful for movie. There was one moment in the movie that looked little awkward. When Aakash was found dead hanging on a tree, I could see few girls laughing at it.

Plot
Mala is a girl who was sold to a brothel in India and later rescued. After she is rescued, Mala returns to her village, ‘Kuireni Gau’. But she could not tolerate her trauma and decides to suicide. It is believed that ‘unless body of a person is not completely destroyed, their soul strolls around the place and tries to find justice.’ She seeks help from a doctor Neal from his dreams. Neal is an atheist medical doctor and he starts to experience supernatural events, but justifies them with scientific logic. But things start getting worse. He goes to explore the secret thus revealing different hidden mysteries. Finally, Neal finds out Mala’s dead body and burns it with the help of her family. But this is definitely not the end. Watch the movie to uncover more of the movie.

Watch or Not?
If you love horror movies, this is a must watch, but not recommended for weak hearted people.

Cast: Namrata Shrestha, Rajesh Hamal, Deepak Sharma, Shakuntala Baidhya, Raveena Deshraj Shrestha
Director: Prashant Rasaily

Nepali movie: Soul Sister is about Maya and her recurring nightmares. Maya is a lonely girl. She is confused, helpless and living between illusion and reality. Directed by Prashant Rasaily, Soul Sister features Namrataa Shrestha in the lead role as Maya and this picture was produced by Namrataa herself. Movie also has a special appearance of superstar Rajesh Hamal.

“A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror but also despair, anxiety and great sadness.” – wikipedia.org

Experts describe nightmare are vividly realistic, disturbing dreams that rattle you awake from a deep sleep. They often set your heart pounding from fear. We often have nightmares which wake us up with our heart pounding, and sometimes even with a scream. Such isolated nightmares are considered normal. But when your dreams result in extreme terror, anxiety and recur often, they might cause distress or problems with daytime functioning. ‘Soul Sister’ has a similar case of Maya who is disturbed by recurring nightmares of visiting a strange and haunted place every day.

They say people have a tendency to love anything that’s fresh and so do I. That’s why I always have good words for new things and I can smell new in Soul Sister. Maybe not in the world, but looking at the history of Nepali movies, Soul Sister has definitely tried a new thing. I liked the attempt of using narration for storytelling, but there were times when movie just had nothing to say. There were times when movie was not going forward and making it look flat. The story revolves around same place for most part of the movie which was making it boring. I’m afraid there was less thrills and minimum horror. Few important things that were made confusing are what I didn’t like. Maya explained that her twin sister died when she was born. But I’m not sure how Maya witness grownup twin sister in her dream. Also, why would Wastav kill a helpless and lonely girl who never bothered him? This is still mystery to me. I like the concept though and the finishing of the movie was ideal.

A good music remains close to a heart. As for this movie, background music played a vital role in making the thrills lively and was very much helping the rhythm of movie. Cinematography was exceptional and star cast performance was creditable.

Plot:
Maya (Namrataa Shrestha) is a lonely girl who is confused, helpless and living between illusion and reality. As she travels to her father’s house, she meets Wastav who helps to drop her to her place. Wastav is a married man and his wife is pregnant. After they meet second time in a library, they start seeing each other more often. Maya has a problem of recurring nightmares. Every day she has a dream of visiting a mysterious and horrifying place. In her mysterious dream, someone is calling her name and she seems to be following her. Watch it to know if she will make it to the other side.

Watch or Not?
‘Soul Sister’ is a new concept. So, I would definitely recommend anyone to watch this movie.

Official Trailer of Soul Sister: