Idol in India then, double-bill hero in Nepal now - Darjeeling boy who won talent race is set for twin movie releases in neighbouring country this week

IMRAN AHMED SIDDIQUI
New Delhi, June 20: In the unlikely event of Mamata Banerjee and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee hitting movie halls in Nepal this week, they will find a common factor in not one but two love stories unfolding on the screens. The lead actor in both movies will be Prashant Tamang, whose tour of duty in uniform once took him to the homes of the current and former chief ministers of Bengal. That was before the Calcutta police constable became Indian Idol 3 in 2007 and embarked on a movie-worthy journey that has taken him to the dream merchants of the Himalayan nation. With lead roles in two romantic movies — Angaalo Yo Maya Ko and Kina Maya Ma — that are due for release on June 24 across Nepal, Prashant is unlikely to be able to find time to slip back into his uniform in a hurry, though he misses the force. “Although I would love to keep my association with Calcutta police for ever, my life has taken a completely different turn,” Prashant, who’s busy promoting his films, told The Telegraph over the phone. Angaalo Yo Maya Ko translates as “the embrace of love” and Kina Maya Ma as “why in love”. “Both are romantic films based on love stories and I play the lead characters. I would love both to become blockbusters,” said Prashant, an ethnic Nepali Indian from Tungsung village in Darjeeling. The 28-year-old is looking ahead to “producing a film” on his stint as a constable. “This will be my way of paying tribute to the force,” he said, recalling the days he spent on duty outside the homes of Mamata, now chief minister, and the man she unseated, Bhattacharjee. “I used to carry a transistor with me during night duty outside Raj Bhavan. I used to listen to songs and then practise and my colleagues used to make fun of me. But later they started respecting my love for music and encouraged me. That was how I practised before I was inducted into the police band,” Prashant said. If the talent show launched the young man, it also sowed the seeds of a new party that now controls the Darjeeling hills. In 2007, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha was born after its president Bimal Gurung cashed in on the strong anti-Subash Ghisingh sentiment that swept through the hills during the campaign to help Prashant win the contest. The GNLF chief had refused to publicly back Prashant even as the entire Gorkha community in Bengal and across the country put its collective might behind the singer. Life for the Shah Rukh Khan fan took a dramatic turn after he won the contest in September 2007 and bagged a Rs 1-crore music contract with Sony. He became a celebrity in Nepal and started performing at live shows overseas, especially in West Asia, before joining the Nepali film industry in 2009. His debut film Gorkha Paltan, in which he played the lead character, was a hit last year in Nepal. But it hasn’t always been easy for the singer, who got his job with Calcutta police in 2002 after his father Madan Tamang, a constable with the traffic department, died. Prashant hasn’t forgotten those days. “My job as a constable with Calcutta police means a lot to me. It’s a very emotional thing as I got the job because of my father’s death. And what I am today is because of the support from my department and that’s why I don’t want to quit,” Prashant said. For now, however, Prashant is on special leave. “I have been on special leave since 2007, which means no work and no pay. The salary is not important. I hope the department will support me as it has done in the past,” he said.

Prashant Tamang's second movie coming soon

REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU,June 23: The audio CD of the movie “Kina Mayama” was released at a press meet organized at Hotel Ashoka in Bag Bazaar on June 22.
Music.com is distributing the audio CD of the movie.

The movie is featuring ex-Indian Idol Prashant Tamang and is paired with Sumina Ghimire.

“It’s a film with a social message, and it’s different from the trend that’s prevalent in Nepali movies,” said Chunilal Ghimire, director of the movie, who is from Sikkim.
“I believe this movie will strengthen relations between Nepal and Sikkim,” Ghimire added.

The movie is shot in different places of Nepal and Sikkim.

“I have a role of a Masters-level student who is very ordinary,” Sumina Ghimire said. “In the movie, I’m a die-hard fan of a singer from Nepal whose role is played by Prashant.” .



She added, “This movie has come up with a positive message. It deals with HIV/AIDS and will also campaign for the awareness of HIV/AIDS.

Prashant Tamang plays the role of Ravi Kiran, a famous singer from Nepal. He meets his die-hard fan Garima and falls in love with her.

Sriram Balaji Film Pvt. Ltd. is distributing the movie in the theaters in Kathmandu Valley, and Pathibhara Films Pvt. Ltd. is distributing it outside Kathmandu.

The movie will be released on June 24.

Kina Mayama's music out

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Kina Mayama — singer Prashant Tamang’s new movie is all set to release and the movie’s music album was released on June 22. The entire team of the movie including producer Samir Pradhan, director Chunilal Ghimire, actresses Sumina Ghimire and Punam Gurung and choreographer Govind Rai released the album.

Sharing his experience about making the music for the film music director Mahesh Khadka said he stayed in Sikkim and visited different places for inspiration as the movie is filmed at Kupup, which is a border area between China and Sikkim. “I have included melodies that reflect local tunes and culture of Sikkim. And songs fit the story line.”

Chouri Lekma Choddai and Ghintang Ghintang are tracks that have flavour of the local ethnic community.

The movie is a love story between a singer (Tamang), who visits Sikkim for a musical programme and meets one of his fans (Ghimire) and they fall in love.

Singing in harmony for expatriates

A musical show featuring Indian, Filipino and Nepalese singers  will be held at Dream Park, Doha Zoo, on June 16-17.
Organised by Nepalese organiser David Chettri of Progressive Solutions, the four-hour show will feature at least three full-fledged bands from Nepal and the Philippines. It will start at 7pm.
Chettri said that the idea behind staging a show featuring singers from three countries was to bring harmony among the countless expatriates from the three countries, residing in Qatar. “The show would be successful in providing a unique experience to the music lovers in Doha,” he said. “We have a goal of entertaining several hundreds of expatriates.”

Prashant Tamang

Among the groups that will perform at the show are 1974 AD Band (Nepal), India Idol-3 led by Prashant Tamang and The Revision Band of the Philippines Pinoy Rockers.  Nepalese comedian Jeetu Nepal, actress choreographer and dancing queen from Nepal Dia Maskey, Qatar-based dance Filipino crew Beats and Bytes will also perform.  
Chettri, who is the manager of Music of Harmony Rocks Qatar, also plans to stage a show featuring Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi bands in a few months’ time.

From Sikkim to Nepal: Prashant Tamang brings Angalo Yo Maya Ko

from XEPALI.COM

Former Indian Idol Prashant Tamang arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday, for two days. He is here for the publicity for his upcoming film, "Angaalo Yo Maya Ko". The movie is his second film after "Gorkha Paltan". Gorkha Paltan was a big hit of last year. 

The director of the movie, Binod Sereng, is hopeful that the film will be a hit like Gorkha Paltan. He said, "There is plus point in Prashant’s image as well as the film is of high quality in it’s presentation and technology". Model Harshika shrestha has debuted as an actress in this film. 

The film is basically about an addict but, a very good lover boy, who can’t get enough love from his rich family, although there is no lack of money for him. The movie shows, such a situation can create a huge accident.

The film is already released in Sikkim and Shilugadhi of India. Now, it is going to be released here on June 24 .

Having fun after marriage:

During the promotional appearance in Kathmandu Prashant Tamang shared some stuffs about his married life. He was married with Geeta Thapa, a resident of Nagaland, Dimapur on May 7. Geeta works for Kingfisher Company.

"My married life is full of fun. She is busy in her job so, I have to come here alone", he said. To a question raised by a reporter asking if his fan have decreased after the marriage, he answered, "May be. But what can I do? After all, everybody has his personal life and has to give time for it". 

To a question asking where he spent his honeymoon, Prashant answered jokingly, "I spent it in Singapore and she spent it in Bangkok". After a big blast of laughs, he made it clear by saying that they didn’t have free time to go for honeymoon.