Watching a Bhutanese movie in Thimphu

After having a long day, walking every corner in the streets of Thimphu, I wanted to get a dose of Bhutanese entertainment. So I decided to watch a Dzongkha movie. The cinema hall was just opposite to my hotel and I went early to find out what movies were playing. I was informed that two movies were being screened that day – one at 6:30 pm and the other one at 8:30pm. The movie that was to be screened at 6:30pm was “The Mermaid” and the one at 8:30pm was named “Azha Pasa”. And you know what movie I chose to watch, The Mermaid.

After purchasing tickets I went back to my hotel and came back five minutes before the movie. The cinema hall was very crowded and I had to struggle my way into the hall. Finally after successfully entered the hall, I had the freedom to sit anywhere I wanted, because there were no seat numbers assigned. Setting down, the movie started with the title, but I expected people to cheer when the movie name was screened but to my surprise every one was very silent.

The movie starts with the lead character playing his flute on the lake side, when he observes something fishy in the lake. When he goes and tells his friends that something uncommon is happening in the lake, their friends make fun of him and leave. Then the next day, he starts playing his flute again and he observes something uncommon happening in the lake. He leaves again and a mermaid enters out of the lake and transforms herself into a human. When the hero sees this transformed mermaid he falls in love with her and they both flee away because the hero’s father is not happy about his son’s whereabouts. On their way to other part of the country, this couple find’s someone who offers them job and work. They both stay together happily for a while until, the hero finds out that he was love in a mermaid and not a human. So, he returns back to his village, where the father kills the hero. Upon knowing this the mermaid goes back to her normal mermaid life and stays in the lake.

Though I do not understand the Dzongkha language, it was not difficult to understand the movie. But this movie is kind of creepy compared to the movies we watch in Hollywood. Overall the local people had fun watching this movie and I think this movie is a hit in Bhutan.

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