There was a time when Nepali movies were heavily influenced by Indian films. Not only acting and direction, but even the stories were copied. The Nepali movie Aktor: Take One follows this trend by using an old Bollywood storyline. It feels like “old wine in a new bottle” because it lacks originality. The movie is based on the usual themes of gold smuggling and love stories, which don’t feel very relevant in today’s time.
The movie begins with Vijay (Mahesh Tripathi) telling a story about the three main characters—Kushal, Prerana, and Prakriti—to director Nischal Basnet.
The Story
The main character, Kushal (Pradeep Khadka), dreams of becoming a superstar. He constantly calls himself a superstar, even though no one else does. He wants fame and success, and he sees theater as a way to achieve his dreams. But his journey is full of ups and downs. Prakriti (Anna Sharma) loves Kushal, but Kushal’s feelings for her are not clear.
Kushal comes from a middle-class family. His mother (Sirjana Adhikari) runs a beauty parlor and does her best to provide for him. Even though they don’t have a lot of money, Kushal loves wearing branded clothes and accessories.
One day, Kushal finally gets a chance to become a superstar. But things don’t go as planned. His director Vivek (Divyadev) gets arrested in a gold smuggling case, which changes the course of Kushal’s life. Even from jail, Vivek helps Kushal find the real gold smugglers. This search takes Kushal to Pokhara, where he meets Prerana (Divya Rayamajhi), the daughter of businessman Dheeraj Jung (Raj Ballav Koirala). They fall in love, and soon, Kushal finds himself caught in a love triangle between Prakriti and Prerana.
As Kushal struggles to deal with both love and crime, his life becomes complicated. How he manages to balance everything is the main focus of the film.
Direction and Acting
Director Rajan Bhusal has stretched the story unnecessarily. The attempt to divide the plot into multiple parts (possibly for a sequel) may not be well received by the audience. Those who enjoy commercial films might find it entertaining, but those looking for a strong storyline could be disappointed.
Raj Ballav Koirala’s comeback might be exciting for some viewers. Pradeep Khadka’s acting is average, while Anna Sharma has put in visible effort. However, Divya Rayamajhi, daughter of actor Dilip Rayamajhi, doesn’t make a strong impression in her debut film. Supporting actors Pradeep Kumar Chaudhary and Badal Bhatt have done a good job.
The screenplay and dialogues might leave the audience feeling unsatisfied. Nepali films are improving, but directors still need to focus on fresh stories and selecting the right actors.
