A sorry story

Love stories are a staple in any film industry the world over. Though these can often be larger than life, not to mention completely unrealistic, the genre’s popularity with audiences is well established. It is a similar case with the Nepali film industry, where romantic movies like Prem Pinda, Kusume Rumal, Basanti, Mero Euta Sathi Chha and Sano Sansar, have proved commercially successful. The latest addition to the list comes in the form of I Am Sorry, a highly anticipated production that was expected to find a place among Nepali cinema’s most epic love stories. But the film fails miserably at producing the sort of powerful reaction that such a venture should. The directorial debut of Dinesh Raut and produced by Hari Mahat, I Am Sorry stars young heart-throbs Aryal Sigdel and Keki Adhikari, and contrary to the pre-release hype, emerges as a huge disappointment owing mainly to a weak screenplay and sluggish pace.


Shruti (Adhikari) was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She is soon put in charge of a massive business empire—one which incidentally manufactures products named after her. Tired of the jet-set lifestyle, and of being tied down to a relentlessly busy schedule, she decides to run away. Although where she goes to is not specified, it is beautiful. Here, she meets Gaurav (Sigdel), a taxi driver who shows her around the new place to help her get settled. And as per the rules of love stories, they soon fall for each other. But there are things the both of them are unable to reveal about their respective pasts, which leads to complications further ahead. The film makes a promising start, especially the cinematography, which captures well the beautiful natural sights that surround Shruti when she leaves her comfortable life to find her freedom—due credit for this must be given to cinematographer Pushottam Pradhan. The chemistry between the two leads as they fall in love is also quite convincing. It is only when the story becomes burdened with unnecessary twists that the film loses steam.

Adhikari is fairly good in the film. But Sigdel, who has honed the lover-boy image, doesn’t seem quite up to form this time, putting up a largely expressionless performance, although he does redeem himself during the emotional scenes. Talented actress Nita Dhungana is wasted in a rather small role. The second half of the film is a bit tedious as dialogues start getting repetitive and the separation between Shruti and Gaurav is unnecessarily prolonged. Despite a massive budget of Rs 15 million, the depressing script and ineffective romance renders the film a waste of both time and money.