Proud to be a Sikkimese: Sikkim Travel, Culture & Local Heritage

Nineteen years ago, a small-budget Nepali film was shot entirely in Sikkim. Celebrated local artist Danny Denzongpa played the lead role. The film also featured popular Nepali artists Bhuwan KC and Tripti, Muralidhar from Nepal, and Rakshya, the child artiste.  The film ‘Saino’ was a huge success, and the music set by Ranjit Gazmer is part of a fairy tale. Each of its seven songs holds a legendary status sung by singers like Asha Bhonsle, Udit Narayan, Deepa Narayan, Kumar Kancha, Muralidhar, and Danny himself.    The film was shot in a short span and directed by Ugen Chopel, who became a famed director of Nepali cinema. Saino was more than a cinematic brilliance with dialogues of character actors getting mass appreciation. Who can forget the lines like “ daiba ko daya lay ….and the Pukar Gurung’s act with his signature line…” koi cha mah sangha khelnay ”. Saino was later made into Bengali and Hindi films but with little success. But its Hindi serial version...

Do you know Saino was made four times? First, it was a Nepali movie in Bengali, followed by Hindi, and finally, the serial Ajnabhi.  It was named Bandhu in Bengali, and if everyone gets a chance upon the Bengali audio cassette, get a hold of the song  Amai Ley Bhanthey  in Bengali.  I still recall when I first saw Saino at Vajra Hall. I was upset with my stomach but was not ready to miss any of those scenes.  The film was simply dominated by the presence of Danny Denzongpa, ala Aamir Khan in Ghajini. I find it strange Danny too shares a similarity with Aamir Khan, we all know Aamir is very selective about his movies and does one or two films in a year but this trend was started by Danny Denzongpa way back.  No one denies Danny's talent, but very few know he is a great singer and has sung with legends like Asha Bhonsle, Kishore Kumar, and Rafi. He is a good writer. Did you know he even directed a Hindi movie that had Rajesh Khanna as the lead?  Well, co...