Karma Takapa, who has ventured into full-fledged filmmaking with "Ralang Road", says, like him, his state Sikkim is in its initial stages of exploring cinema.
The director says there has been a constant flow of filmmakers coming and making films in Sikkim and it is having a pan-Indian effect.
In an interview with PTI, Takapa says, "Sikkim film industry is in its nascent stage. You have people making films but we aren't really talking about building our own industry like Bengali, Marathi or even Bhojpuri.
"The filmmakers have a certain level of support that has allowed them to flourish. And because of that they have been able to create films that have had a pan-India effect. It may not have as strong a reach as Bollywood but numbers that we are talking about are quite huge in terms of the region."
Earlier, the writer-director co-helmed the 2015 Chhattisgarhi film "Mor Man Ke Bharam" with Heer Ganjwala and Abhishek Varma.
Takapa says with mainstream Bollywood names such as Priyanka Chopra venturing into Sikkimese cinema, it gives a much-needed kickstart to films in terms of finance and recognition.
"Obviously, Sikkim would want more big-budget Bollywood projects to come and work there... Produce films. It's great for the tourism and at the end of the day, we're talking revenue. It's always a plus point.
"This gives you some hope as you don't have an inherent audience, which I mean in terms of the population. So you hope that it opens up to a larger number of people - the idea of the so-called world cinema."
He says it further helps as then films start visiting festivals and people on ground recommend them through word- of-mouth.
"But the money spending audience will only go and watch the film if there is a connect with the language in which the film is made, something that happens strongly in Marathi or South Indian cinema," he adds.
"Ralang Road", made in Nepali language, was screened at the sixth edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival yesterday.
It is a one-day story about four strangers of different age groups, who come together due to some coincidences that lead to both dramatic and humorous in a span of one day.
Takapa hails from Borong village in South Sikkim and the title of the movie has been drawn from the road that connects the place to Ralong.
"A good portion of the film has been shot on that road. The story has more to do with the characters and play of weather than the geographical ideas. We were trying to find the duality in the film which is completely in sync with the weather in the state."
Takapa says there are only two theatres in the state - both single screens and in Gangtok, the Sikkim capital.
He says, "Smaller films have to jostle with big blockbusters for space every weekend with just two screens in the state."
The director says quite like every other state in India people in Sikkim are crazy about films and they are trying to get a release for "Ralang Road" in the state soon.
"They may not like the film but they turn up at theatres to support you. We are getting a positive response from people about the theatrical release. But the most important part is to get it out in Sikkim so that people can see it. Probably we will be able to do it in a month.
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