Bhutanese Films and Theaters

Bhutanese people take pride in three names - religion, culture, and traditional, and these are all associated. These also often come to the rescue of our identity and nationalism to the outside world, or when any intellectual debate happens outside.

Being a proud real Bhutanese, I wanted my youth to absorb as much of Bhutanese in them, but as they would have it, only a few of the youth now shows interest in religion, culture and tradition.

However, I, myself being a subservient son of Bhutan have its own perils. When I was a thirteen-year-old kid, I watched GasaLamay Singye with my friends. It was Bhutan’s first movie. To be or not, it was not about religion, culture, or tradition, but human bonds- a love triangle. There were little quarrels and fights, dishoom-dishoom and songs. The movie moved some of us to be like heroes and it entered inside our juvenile brains. It was no traditional-cultural film, I remember.

Today, when I look back at those days, a sense of nostalgia takes over. I can reflect on the flicks of that movie. It was in fact, the emerging of movie-making in the country. I am not a Bhutanese movie buff now. I watched GasaLamay Singye as there was no TV at those times. Now, I am the type of ‘Woods;’ just like many of us - Hollywood and Bollywood. I have watched about seven Bhutanese movies so far. And I find Bhutanese movies a little un-Bhutanese, a little tactless, amateurish, sluggish, and predictable. All copycat. Bollywood from Hollywood, Hollywood from Bollywood, and other ‘woods’ and then to Bhutanwood or ‘Drukpawood.’ Our Drukpawood is the mixture-Masala of all Woods. Thinking it would become delicious Emadatshi. And thinking of these testy Emadatshi, that our ‘Drukpawood’ could also match the international level, we copy. But otherwise, it’s the commonly tasted ones. Our Dzongkha is becoming ‘Dzonglish.’ Anyway, let’s think over this; Fiji, a smaller country than Bhutan produces the world’s best movies.

Most of our movies do not depict the story of our rich history of our country- its rich historical background and tradition. We had so many Penlops, Deps, legends, myths, and folktales could be made into very good films. For example, the legend of Ling Gesar Ghyap, Zhabdrung, and his Dzongs, etc, could be made into beautiful movies. But nowadays, we live in the floating world, so we see in the movies flashy cars, immaculate houses, decked up ladies in tatters, fancy mood lighting, all these flesh and bones, and difficult to understand what and why are they portrayed.

Bhutanese movies are very much threaded in misery and weepy kind of life with little sparkling moments of joy that bring a smile to the viewer's face. The scene in which Phurba Thinley tries to behave like a woman gives little guffaws or the westernized musical party where the kids gather, dance, and sing a Nga Chelu Ga, Che NgaLu Ga or ting-a-ling-ling-song. Otherwise, there is no striking moment in the movie. The scene in where Singlam and Galam go to see their old ruined house and breaks apart, or cruel mother-in-law, Aum Lamo crouches the head of a hero’s girlfriend and thrashes on the wall, or the scene of heroes running through sometimes in poverty and dejections (and it usually happens because of the lady he loves... gripping lives... and then, they understand each other-their heart, they become together and start a new life, which will be a success within a minute, and there is little connections). The films, most of the time tighten the knots showing brutal and faithless life, making audiences, especially Bhutanese women considering their life like film.

Aristotle truly said that films must excite, startle, thrill, and shake viewers. Its effects cannot be produced by a play that is lacking in conflict. The conflict in the movie may be between human beings pulling in different directions, between a character and the environment in which he finds himself or the society in which he is a member. Movies must generally represent human sufferings, which raises pity and fear among audiences and make audiences decide that the film is a great one in its tragic appeal. The misfortune of the film should be simple and straight- forward, but sublime and universal in its penetrative appeal.

A good film as per my judgment should represent human suffering, have fear and pity, embellished language, and have emotional/cathartic appeal, and of all, it should educate, entertain and inform. There are two views on the tragic vision of life. One is that man is the plaything of inscrutable power called fate and another is that character is responsible for the tragic end. In Greek tragedies, the tragic fate for the heroes is predetermined. Oedipus and Antigone become obstinate and tyrannical. Their tragedy is due to their overconfidence in their respective attitudes.

Films though, portrayed antinomies of our lives, a majority of our viewers take it as reality. Because of this, the films should touch on various themes and issues, and, not only love failures that dominate most of our Bhutanese films, the films must represent history, contemporary Bhutanese society, roles, changing relationship and educate about the moral of faith and believing.

Moviemakers cannot retell the story of GasaLamay Singye again and again. Bhutan has a rich, different and diverse history. We have so many untold stories. Our people are rich, each one of us has many things to share. Every stone, every tree, every valley, every hill, every mountain, every village has a story to tell. There is Galem and Singye in every hamlet, there is Amrish Puri, Phurba Thinley in every hamlet. There are unsung heroes. We are not short of the story. But we are short of audience.

Many Bhutanese movies have been said to have run in lost. The question? Why do most Bhutanese movies run in lost? Why is Bhutan not successful with our Drukpawood? Why Bhutanese are not skilled with better movies production? What is lacking in our entertainment?

I think we are not devoid of the market or audience and people like to watch, but we are devoid of good places to be screened. Our villagers are hungry for Bhutanese movies.

Therefore, in order to reach Bhutanese movies for our hungry audience, we must have good distribution in place and good entertainment place especially halls or theaters. Good halls with good sitting arrangement, good sound systems, etc.  It would also serve as a meeting place for local people. Local people, because the good halls should be actually in every Gewog or if possible in every Chiwog. Building good theatre infrastructures and providing better and efficient facilities for the audience can profit movie makers and change the quality of movies.

In this way we can promote our own films/Drukpawood, and promote our own shows, etc, educating our own type of traditions. Not only that, we would be creating so many jobs opportunities in this industry. And at the same time generate lots of money. We would have fewer drugs users and crimes as a whole because it helps to engage them and give them a second thought.

Our neighbor India has very strong and prosperous films industry because almost all-little towns have very good cinema halls.

Bhutan has not many good halls; we have in Thimphu, Phuntsholing, Samdrup Jongkha and Gelephug. But these theaters are not really theaters, they are simple halls.  All these halls lack a good sound system, the technicalities of sound and such. And the size and cleanliness of halls could put them in grade-G.

I hope our government will look upon this matter and come up with good theaters. I am ready to contribute a small amount to build good theaters in our country.