Kathmandu, March 10 -- Growing up on the outskirts of Syangja in the early aughts, radio was still the only means of entertainment. The ubiquity of television was still a few years away and the internet barely a blip. But every Friday morning, the radio would blare ecstatically, announcing the screening of a new film at the bazaar's only cinema hall: "Saugat Chalachitra Mandir Syangja ma. aaja dekhi, aaja dekhi chaliraheko chha, Nepali kathanak chalchitra."

But I hadn't had a chance to visit the Saugat yet. One of my closest friends, Surendra, was an avid moviegoer and every time he saw a film, he would come back and narrate the story to us wide-eyed kids.

After several such sessions, one day, Surendra, another friend Sagar and I hatche...