“Veteran actress Gauri Malla and formidable stand-up comedian Manoj Gajurel were picked up by police right where they stood. They were handcuffed, put into a van and taken away.” Who wouldn’t sit up and take notice after hearing such news? Who wouldn’t feel alarmed?
Harka Sampang was no exception. After all, he is human, just like everyone else, with a heart and emotions. He either heard or saw on social media that two prominent artists had been taken away by police in broad daylight.
Could Harka Sampang remain silent after hearing such news? His patience finally ran out. He took to his familiar ash-grey Facebook timeline and wrote: “Why have Gauri Malla, Manoj Gajurel and others been arrested?” He did not merely express concern; he also demanded accountability from the Balen government, asking, “Government, give us an answer.”
But what answer could there be? There was none, because the incident was a publicity stunt staged by the team behind the film Kakakiki. It was a gimmick designed to create a sensation ahead of the trailer release.
The film industry already has a tendency to prioritise promotion over content. Having grown up hearing the proverb that “the loudest seller sells even flour”, why would filmmakers ignore this marketing mantra? The team choreographed the entire episode to create a major stir. In the spirit of “You fooled them, and what fun it was”, they managed to generate considerable buzz on social media.
Harka Sampang realised only much later that he had been April-fooled. By then, his anger was directed not at the Balen government but at the film production team. He promptly deleted his first post and published another:
“News of Gauri Malla’s arrest was all over the media. I questioned the government. It was only hours later that people started saying the video had been uploaded to YouTube. So many journalists gathered there and filmed it on camera. Now tell me, can people make a living through pranks? What kind of content can come out of such stunts? Such behaviour from an actress of Gauri Malla’s stature! Will Gauri Malla and that team answer for this or not?”
Harka Sampang is demanding answers as though he were a Grade One teacher questioning his pupils.
But Sampang, just as politics has its share of tricks and manoeuvres, so does the film industry. Otherwise, how would filmmakers recover investments worth millions?
