SHARMILA Malla, the noted actress of Kollywood is not an unfamiliar name for Nepali movie-goers. However, in the recent years she rarely appears in the movies. And, many of her critics claim that she is not appearing because she is not getting any ‘offer’ from the producers. But she strongly rejects this speculation.

“I am not playing in films not because I do not get any offer but because I am not getting suitable roles as well as the talented directors,” she says.

Indeed, actress Malla points the lack of talented directors in the Nepali film industries.

“Nepali films are now being made by directors who completely lack direction knowledge. Because of these directors the image of the Nepali film sector is worsening,” Malla explains.

Low rate of remuneration is, according to Malla, another reason for her absence in the current films.

Sharmila’s latest film Kasto Samjhauta was made a year ago by Deepak Rayamajhi. Her first film Kanchi made in 1984 was directed by B. S. Thapa. Indeed it was Kanchi that made Sharmila Malla a noted actress of Nepali movie.

Despite being a film played by a new actress, Kanchi became one of the best Nepali films more than a decade ago when Nepali films’ market was very limited.

The success of Kanchi was a clear signal that teen-aged Sharmila possessed sufficient artistic talents. Malla was only 14 then.

“I did not feel any difficulty while playing in Kanchi because of the friendly treatment of B. S. Thapa, the director of Kanchi,” she says when asked to explain her feelings while playing in films for the first time.

In fact, before she played in Kanchi Sharmila Malla used to participate in Children’s Programme and Radio Drama broadcast by Radio Nepal.

“Though I was a student of Padmakanya High School, Dilli Bazar, I used to participate in the Bal Karyakram and Radio Drama. After school on Friday, I had to rush to Radio Nepal to participate in those programmes,” she tells. The model of the popular ads of Everest Toothpaste was none other than Sharmila Malla. The ads were made before she played in Kanchi.

Born as the youngest daughter of the two children of the second wife of late Hem Bikram Shah, Sharmila points at Sagar Shah, her brother to be the source of encouragement.

“Though my mother used to oppose my desire to participate in acting, my brother encourged me to play in dramas and films,” she says.

Her father died when she was only 12.

Sharmila Malla has played in about a dozen of films as a principal character. And most of her films became popular. Kanchi, Basudeva, Badal, Bijaya Parajaya, Sankalpa, Chelibeti, Mayapriti are some of her better films.

She married in 1985 with Chautara-born Krishna Malla who is also a film artiste. It was a love marriage.

“Our love affair was so powerful that we could not stay separate for long and married just after the completion of Basudeva in 1985,” she says (laughingly). “However I had seen him before playing in Basudeva,” she adds.

She expresses her satisfaction towards her married life.

“As my hubby is also an artiste, it has been easy for me to play in films after marriage, he encourages me to play in films,” she tells.

Her hubby Krishna Malla also seems to be following her path and is not appearing in recent films. When asked what her hubby is doing she says, “After Gothalo he recently played in Yestai Huncha Pirati.”

Among the films she played, she chooses Kanchi and Maya Priti to be her best films. However, she finds her appropriate and most powerful role in Sankalpa. “Indeed, it was in Sankalpa that I could expose my full artistic talents,” she boasted over her skills in Sankalapa.

She has played the role of a young widow in Sankalpa .

When asked if she is satisfied with her acting, she gives a philosophical answer.

“An artiste will never be satisfied with his/her acting, if he/she is satisfied, then he/she will no more remain as an artiste. Satisfaction will end an artiste’s career,” she replies.

Sharmila Malla thinks that the present Nepali film industry is making quantitative, not qualitative progress. As mentioned above she points the lack of talented directors for the present state of Nepali cinemas.

“The tendency to cheat the producers and exploit the artistes, especially actresses, rather than making better films is prevalent among the present film directors,” she says. She also agrees that directors exploit artistes.

“If the artistes are capable, no one can exploit them,” she adds

Sharmila points at Jala Shah when asked to select the best actress of the current Nepali films.

“I appreciate the roles of Jala, she is the only trained actress of Nepali film world,” she says.

At a time when there is a type of competition among the actresses to become a producer, Sharmila Malla is not an exception.

“I am going to produce Lagan Gantho with the joint investment of Biju Ranjit, the producer of Gothalo and Chunauti ,” she discloses her plan.

We may have to wait for Sharmila’s Lagan Gantho to see whether she is also good in producing films.