Thoughts for Nepali Game of Thrones

With the arrival of the seventh season of Game of Thrones (GoT), the show made such a banging entry in the entertainment industry that the HBO network suffered a technical glitch for failing to withstand the fans’ excitement.

Though it’s a Hollywood venture, GoT has influenced thousands of Nepali youths to an enormous extent that it almost seems unnecessary. Curious about the youths’ unfazed inclination toward GoT, My City’s Nasana Bajracharya talked to some students of various levels from Islington College to know their take on the possibility of producing content of similar scale in Nepal. The students also expressed their views on why they like or dislike the much hyped show.

In our present context, I don’t see the possibility of Nepali entertainment industry making anything close to GoT because we don’t have the manpower or technical infrastructure. But we can always be hopeful. I like Game of Thrones because of its storyline. I have also watched series like Vampire Diaries, Originals and Friends. But, GoT’s storyline is unexpected and I end up getting goose bumps all over my body. One can never predict who will die next in the show. The actors have done an exceptionally good job as well. If anyone is to die this season, I really hope its Cersei Lannister (Lena Haedey) because I don’t like her character.

Suruchi Shrestha

BIT (Networking-3rd Semester)

I only started watching GoT because of peer pressure. Neither do I like GoT, nor support the craze among Nepali youths regarding the show. But I also wouldn’t recommend Nepali shows as they lack quality content and are unproductive. Nepali filmmakers still have a long way to go in order to make a show of such huge scale. The plotline or the storyline of GoT does not excite me. I am rather grossed out by the gory and bloody scenes. The fictional characters in GoT are overrated. I specially don’t like Joffrey Baratheon’s (Jack Gleeson) character though he is a great actor.

Samreen Shah

BBA (3rd Semester)

I started watching GoT because of my friends. I like its animation and VFX aspects. As I have multimedia background, I am more amused by its graphics and action sequences rather than the storyline itself. In my observation, Nepali market has a lot to achieve before we reach that level of production. We are still in the learning process but we can start small and get there eventually.

Anish Risal

BIT (Multimedia-3rd Semester)

Nepali entertainment market, at present, is incapable of producing the same level of story as GoT. But we can adapt Kot Parva or similar stories in shows to create an impact here. But I feel Nepalis are more into typical boy-girl love stories and drama and there is no scope for shows like GoT here. I have a love-hate relationship with GoT. I love its VFX and war sequences, but I don’t like the writer’s perception of not giving a happy ending to the series. I find all the characters naïve, and I don’t like Cersei in particular, but I do like Arya Stark and Jamie Lannister’s characters.

Samir Thapa

BBA (8th Semester)

For Nepali entertainment field to make such an impactful and huge show like GoT will take another 30 to 50 years. We need to rigorously work on our videography and sound skills. I first started watching GoT because it covered wars. The first episode was boring, but it gradually got interesting in the latter episodes. I love its cinematography, while the actors have performed in a realistic manner. I think Jamie Lannister will survive till the end and I hope Melisandre (Carice van Houten) dies this season. In season seven, I think John Snow will realize that he is a Targaryen and meets Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). And I’m also excited to see the White Walkers this season.

Shobij Gautam

BIT (Computing-3rd Semester)

I find GoT aggressive and it’s not a good influence on people, especially with the incest and violence it depicts. I have watched all six seasons, and I don’t like any of the characters especially Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), Joffrey and Cersei. GoT has suspense, good cinematography and locations, but that’s it. I’m more into shows like FRIENDS and One Tree Hill. It’s obvious that Nepali actors can’t match Hollywood in terms of acting and we also lack enough budget to make these kind of series here. I don’t see the possibility any time soon.

Mrisha Upadhyay

BIT (Computing-3rdSemseter)

In Nepal, people go gaga over Anmol KC, who I don’t think is a good actor and our production capacity is also deplorable. We seriously need to update in terms of technology and skills if we ever plan to think anything big like GoT. The whole series has been a thrilling experience for me. While in other shows we can predict that the good characters will survive till the end, GoT is completely unpredictable in that regard. The show is about war and history. I binge-watched the first two seasons and now I eagerly wait for every episode to release. I specifically love John Snow (Kit Harington) and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams). Arya used to be a homely kid at first, but being the rebel she is, she has transformed into a warrior avenging her family.

Lubna Banu

BBA (3rd Semester)

I have only watched four seasons after my friends recommended it to me. I liked Rob Stark’s (Richard Madden) character only to find out later that he dies in the third season. I started watching behind the scenes of the show, and was impressed by their graphics and timing, it looks amazingly realistic on screen. To create something similar in Nepal might be possible if we adapt it in modern time, but we need have enough budgets, which seems impossible for now.

Nagarjun Shrestha

BBA (8th Semester)

I find GoT really boring; I dislike whatever I have seen of it till now. Even their acting is over-hyped, it’s similar to the acting in South Indian movies. I don’t like the books either. I’m more into series like Big Bang Theory and really like Sheldon’s character. I think the reason why Nepali youths are watching GoT is because they are amused by the mythological creatures like dragons and White Walkers. I don’t think series like this would be a hit in Nepali market. Comedy series like ‘Meri Bassai’ and ‘Maha Jodi’ series have always ruled the market and I believe they will continue to

thrive.

Nehal Shrama

BBA (3rd Semester)

I’ve a neutral stand on this matter. I like GoT’s storyline because it keeps you curious as to what’s going to happen next. I have managed to watch the show only till the fourth season, and I like Daenerys’s personality and leadership quality. But the series itself is over-rated; it has a repeated content with different characters. Nepal is not in the position to dream or to create something similar here, but we can explore our rich history and make historic series of our own.