Popularly known as Abin Bho, Abin Bhochhibhoya, has amazed all of us with his outstanding filmmaking skills. Starting at a very young age after completing high school, this self-taught artist has blown our minds with his work. Abin has come a long way from shooting personal videos to professionally getting in this industry to making an introduction video for Shrinkhala Khatiwada, Miss Nepal 2018. It has been quite a journey! A very calm and relaxed person who is on his way to finding a meaning in life, Abin’s outlook towards life and film making will surely make you sit up and pay attention.
Tell us about yourself?
I am an explorer, a person with lots of questions which nobody can answer until and unless I find it or myself. Throughout my life I had so many questions which gave me an urge to understand questions myself and sadly I could not find a mentor who could guide me at that time. Over a period of time I have learned to find answers by myself. Currently at 24, what I feel is the questions that I had when I was 16 and 17, present films which we find today could have helped me back then and that’s where I want to go. I want to make films which can be related to our current life. One thing that I have learned is that patience is most important in life. Film is a part of life and until and unless you have experienced life you cannot show life. I am now more patient in living my life and observing it. I really want to make a movie which is going to help other people’s queries regarding life.
Which genre of movies do you want to make?
I really want to start with art films like the way humans talk which I find really interesting and intriguing. We find it really hard to have conversation with strangers, but we have very fluent conversation with our close friends. Basically, I want to start with art films in the context of Nepal and maybe from Kathmandu depicting a teenager’s life. I feel we Nepali people are really emotional and I want to depict that in my movie.
How hard is it to visualize and execute a film?
Visualization is like a dream where you could go insane, but you won’t remember the dream after waking up. Execution highly depends on resources, team and finance. Personally for me execution matters the most. I could shoot a film from a phone but execution and coordination between the team matters the most. I think Nepal is lacking in the execution part. You could plan the best event, but if the execution is not up to the mark, all the planning was in vain. Even Nepalis could do great visualization, but the need of the hour is basic visualization with great execution.
Is it easy to live on just film making in Nepal?
Speaking honestly, it is very hard to support oneself just with film making as a profession in Nepal. Art is a risky profession when as an artist you also couldn’t look at the money. You have to be stress free and have a peaceful mind to create art. If you are only after making money, it will hamper your creation. I feel balancing both parts is the trick. Also film making is a profession where you get all your money at once and there is no monthly salary. One has to sustain with a single earning until the next project comes along. “I feel lucky being born as a Nepali as every one of us has our own different story. I find interesting stories in each Nepali’s life which could have its own movie. Nepal is a place which is full of stories; you just have to find and execute it.”
Do you believe in awards?
My target is to tell stories and if I am recognized and awarded then that’s great, but I feel awards are funny. I have won many awards when I was in school but what matters at the end of the day is what you do after waking up. I am living my dream profession of film making so that’s my award.
Have you ever considered studying film making
I am open to it, but only if that university can teach me something that I don’t know. It was my childhood dream to study at Harvard University and I have even applied for two consecutive years and was rejected both times. After a brief conversation with an old man in France, he made me realize that I am admitted to the school of life and there is nothing called rejection in the school of life. I would like to say I am admitted in a course called life.
Have you ever thought of opening a workshop for aspiring film makers?
I think to teach you have to know everything and every term. I believe in learning by doing than teaching someone. A person would never know until and unless they do it by themselves so I want to convey all aspiring film makers to learn by doing; even if you fail at it, you will learn something.
Your favorite films?
It sounds funny and abstract but I don’t watch a lot of films. I can’t focus on the movie as I am more focused on the technical part regarding sound, color and all the techniques used in the movie.
Has it ever bothered you that you have not pursued your higher studies?
Since I didn’t graduate there is an invisible stress inside me to learn every single day; if I don’t I feel guilty. My sister is in university and seeing her doing hard work makes me think I need to do hard work as well, but I feel that it is a wrong system, where you have to pressure yourself a lot simply to learn.
Can you tell me about your living alone diaries?
I believe a person should live alone and be able to live alone with his/her own company. We have this notion that you should always be around people. As a human being, you are always alone and lonely; there comes days when you meet people and have interaction which is a plus point and if you don’t meet anyone that is your normal life. If you accepted this fact, life would be much easier.
What is your current priority?
Currently for me, my lifestyle matters more than my work. If you put your work first before your lifestyle, it will create a problem. I was a workaholic before and used to do six to seven project at a time, but now I have realized what’s important and the priorities in life and move accordingly. I am trying to disconnect everything unimportant and trying to truly understand the beauty of life. I am chasing stories and people.
