While Mt Everest has long been a subject of documentaries and Hollywood movies, Jerry on Top, a Nepali feature film using the mountain as the core of its story, has officially been released in cinema halls across the country from today.
Set against the backdrop of Everest expedition, the film marks a rare effort by Nepali filmmakers to craft a cinematic narrative centered about the world's highest mountain which lies in Nepal.
The film made under the banner of Ananya Films Production is one of the first mainstream Nepali productions to portray Mt Everest as the focus of its story highlighting the beauty and significance of the world's highest peak and the Himalayan region.
The two hour 55 minute-long movie is led by actor Anmol KC who plays a young mountaineer while his co-star Jassita Gurung plays a trekking guide.
To bring realism to their roles, both the actors had undergone a month of physical training involving wall and rock climbing, shared director Suyog Gurung.
"The cast worked under the supervision of experienced Sherpa guides during the film shooting to ensure authenticity from the scenic shots of Everest to the characters," divulged producer Saroj Neupane.
Neupane further disclosed that the production team has spared no effort in capturing Nepal's towering giant (Mt Everest) and stunning beauty of Everest region through the story and aimed to deliver a high-quality film that Nepali audiences can truly be proud of.
Hemraj BC penned the script of the film, with Biswas Timilsina crafting the screenplay and Duleep Regmi leading the cinematography to bring the story to life on screen.
Lead actor KC, who visited the cinema halls along with his cast and crew, to observe audiences' reactions first-hand, remarked that the biggest challenge in production was doing justice to a subject as vast and demanding as Everest.
"Filming there in the Everest region is not technically easy especially with limited local resources and budget constraints. But through our collective effort, we made it happen," he exclaimed.
The lead actor expressed his hope that Jerry on Top would inspire other filmmakers to explore mountain stories and make movies based on them.
The film stars Anmol KC alongside Bhuwan KC, Aanchal Sharma, Jassita Gurung, Kedar Ghimire (aka Magne Buda) and Usha Khadgi among others.
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