What it is about
Harka Bahadur is an alcoholic who abuses his wife. After the family loses its house over unpaid loans, he promises to stop drinking, but his death soon follows. His son Man Bahadur then leaves home to join the army. Years later, Man returns to his village after serving abroad and finds that his mother is gone. Neighbours persuade him to stay and serve the community, arguing that serving the motherland is as virtuous as serving a mother.
How it was made
King Mahendra of Nepal asked Hira Singh Khatri, then mainly working in Indian cinema, to direct the film, intended to develop Nepali cinema and promote the country's art and culture. Nepal lacked professional infrastructure for producing, distributing and screening films, and had no professional actors, so Khatri cast singer-songwriter Shiva Shankar Manandhar in the lead and stage performer Bhuwan Chand as the leading woman. Shooting lasted three to four months, and post-production, completed in Kolkata, took about six. Most scenes were filmed in a single take.
Reception and legacy
Aama premiered on 7 October 1964 and was a popular success. It is regarded as the first Nepali-language film produced in Nepal, making it a landmark in the country's cinema history. Khatri's later films Hijo Aaja Bholi (1967) and Parivartan (1971) were also made to convey patriotism. Critics have read the figure of the mother as a symbol of national unity, a nation-building tool in the film.
Stills
Trivia
An early acting debut
Hari Prasad Rimal made his acting debut in Aama at the age of fourteen.
Mostly single takes
Most of the scenes were filmed in a single take.
Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.