AsiaNews Magazine Jan10-16,2014 ( Jan 1-7,2014) | Page 23

BUSINESS

January 10-16, 2014

A CINEMA
HALL IN THE
HEART OF
CAPITAL CITY
OF THIMPHU,
THE LARGEST
CITY IN
BHUTAN, IS
SHUT IN THE
AFTERNOON.

the three Khans of Bollywood
—Aamir, Shah Rukh and
Salman—as popular here as
in neighbouring India.
But local films have also been
growing in popularity with
some 20 Bhutanese films now
produced every year. Last year's
big hit was Jarim Sarim (Pretty
and the Beautiful), a romantic
comedy film that ran full house
for 24 days in one cinema hall, a

THE STRAITS TIMES

keep numbers manageable.
The country follows the
principles of Gross National
Happiness and not Gross Domestic
Product, emphasising tradition,
culture and the environment
over profits and consumerism.
Tobacco is banned and
cannot be sold or produced.
Men and women have to wear
the national dress—knee length
robes for men and ankle length
dress for women during office
hours and in public functions.
So preserving the local culture
and language, Dzongkha, takes
precedence over all else.
At the eight cinema halls across
Bhutan, only Bhutanese films
are screened. In the '90s, movie
halls were asked to screen only
Bhutanese films, leading to the
disappearance of Indian and
Hollywood films from halls.
The Bhutanese still watch
Bollywood movies on cable
television and speak Hindi with

record in the local film industry.
Made on an average budget
of 4 million rupees ($64,168)
each, themes are centred
around romance and comedy.
“It is a very interesting time
to be in Bhutan's film industry.
I am very excited. And I see it
growing more,” said Tshokey
Tshomo Karchung, a leading
actress and the country's first
Miss Bhutan in 2008. ¬