Nischal Basnet is a Nepalese film director and actor who primarily appears in Nepali language films. He made his directorial debut in 2012 with the crime-thriller Loot and wrote screenplay for the film.[1] The film focuses on Hakku Kale (played by Saugat Malla), who masterminds a bank robbery.[2] The film received mixed reviews from the critics, some of whom criticized the script for not being original.[3] According to The Kathmandu Post, the film "changed the discourse of the Nepali film industry".[4] Loot earned 25.5 million Nepalese rupees (approximately US$218,000 in 2019), making it Nepal's highest-grossing film of 2012.[5][6] Basnet went on to win the Dcine Award for Best Debut Director.[7] In 2014, Basnet acted in and produced Ram Babu Gurung's romantic drama Kabaddi.[8] In the film, Basnet plays Bibek, who tries to abduct a gangster's daughter.[9] The same year, Basnet directed the dark comedy Talakjung vs Tulke.[10] The film is set during the Nepalese Civil War, which lasted from 1996 to 2006.[11] Basnet won the Film Critics Society of Nepal Award for Best Director[12] and the National Film Award for Best Director.[13][14] Talakjung vs Tulke was selected as the Nepalese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[15]
In 2017, Basnet directed Loot 2, the sequel to Loot.[16] Loot 2 grossed 60.1 million Nepalese rupees (approximately US$524,000 in 2019) at the box office, surpassing the lifetime box office gross of Loot.[17][18] After directing Loot 2, Basnet starred in Dui Rupaiyan (2017), portraying Jureli, one of two characters on a quest to find two rupees.[19][20][21] In 2018, Basnet appeared in Dinesh Raut's Prasad, playing the role of Ramesh alongside actors Bipin Karki and Namrata Shrestha.[22][23] For his role in the film, Basnet was nominated for a Dcine Award and the Kamana Film Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role.[24][25] [note 1] Besides acting and directing, Basnet has served as a judge on Sarwanam Theater (2018), Nepal Idol (2019) and Nepal's Mega Cinestar (2019).[28][29] He has also sung "Udhreko Choli", "Hit Geet", and "Ghyampe".
