Young college students staged a demonstration at Maitighar, demanding the release of stand-up comedian Pranesh Gautam for his review of a Nepali film.
Youngsters have shown their concerns against Gautam’s arrest. They expressed their concerns and dissatisfaction regarding the arrest on their social media handles. Shyam Shahu Shrestha, a movie enthusiast said, “I don't personally support ‘meme Nepal’ but the decision to sue a meme page on criticizing a movie seems kind of farfetched. As a cinema fan, it is quite disappointing that the Nepali movie has been plagued by nepotism and other causes.”
On May 22, Gautam posted a review-video on meme Nepal’s official YouTube channel. The review was on a Nepali film, ‘Bir Bikram 2’. The video went viral. However, the makers of the movie showed concerns against the page for making such review. The film’s director, Milan Chams alleged the presenter (Pranesh Gautam) to be under the influence of drugs while doing the review. In an interview with Canada Nepal, Chams said, “The act of insulting Nepali actors and the entire Nepali film industry was prominent for quite some time. So, someone had to raise a voice against it.”
Free Pranesh Gautam
The makers finally sued the channel for their review on May 26.
Two members of Meme Nepal were taken into police custody on June 7. They were arrested after a case was filed against them for their review of the film. Kathmandu District Court issued the arrest warrant. Police arrested Pranesh Gautam and Aadarsh Mishra. Gautam was detained in custody while Mishra was released on general date. Director and producer Milan Chams filed a case against Meme Nepal at Metropolitan Police Crime Division, Teku two weeks ago, alleging the presenter (Gautam) of defaming his film and the actors’ reputation in the review.
After the arrest, meme Nepal also posted a statement on their defense saying it was an honest movie review. “The presenter talked about the good and bad things about the movie. There were proper disclaimers about the content in the video and the channel,” read the statement.
