Parbate Raja: My Journey of Bringing Nepali Panchebaja and Rural Culture to the Screen

By Bishal Lohane | Director, Parbate Raja (2019)

Full Video Link HD: Parbate Raja: Panche Baja Song

When I look back at my filmmaking journey, “Parbate Raja” remains a meaningful project because it gave me an opportunity to connect music with the natural beauty, people, and cultural atmosphere of rural Nepal.

Parbate Raja is a Nepali Panchebaja music video featuring the voices of RC Paudel and Samjhana Bhandari. I directed the video with the intention of creating a visual experience that respected the traditional character of the music while presenting it through the language of contemporary music-video filmmaking.

My Vision as the Director

For me, directing a music video is not simply about putting performers in front of a camera. A good music video should create a relationship between sound and image.

When I approached Parbate Raja, I wanted the visuals to carry the same energy and cultural feeling found in the song. Panchebaja has a distinctive Nepali identity, and I felt that the visual world should also feel genuinely connected to Nepal.

Rather than creating an artificial environment, I wanted to use the real surroundings of rural Nepal. This became one of the important creative decisions behind the project.

My Connection with the Myagdi Location

The music video was filmed in a village setting in Myagdi, Nepal.

For me, the village environment was more than simply a shooting location. It became part of the visual character of the project. The natural landscape and rural surroundings provided an authentic background for a song based on Nepali folk musical traditions.

I have always believed that Nepal's landscapes can become powerful cinematic elements. From the hills and villages to the people and their everyday surroundings, there are stories and visual textures everywhere.

While directing Parbate Raja, I wanted to allow that natural environment to contribute to the mood and identity of the music video.

Bringing Panchebaja into a Visual Story

Panchebaja represents an important part of Nepal's traditional musical culture. Its sound carries celebration, movement, community, and emotion.

As a director, my responsibility was to translate that musical energy into images.

I focused on creating a visual presentation where music, performance, location, and atmosphere could work together naturally. I did not want the visuals to overpower the song. Instead, my goal was to support the music and allow the cultural environment to remain visible throughout the experience.

Working with the Creative Team

One of the most rewarding aspects of Parbate Raja was collaborating with a dedicated creative team.

The song features vocals by RC Paudel and Samjhana Bhandari, with lyrics by Tejash Regmi and music by Bimal Raj Chhetri. Ashish Abiral handled the arrangement as well as the mix and master.

On the visual side, Kishan BC worked as the cinematographer, while Bishnu Sharma handled editing and color. The video featured RC Paudel, Puja Paudel, Narayan Subedi, Shilpa Karki, Arjun Thapa, and Binu Karki.

As a director, I consider filmmaking a collaborative art. The final result is created through the combined contribution of everyone involved.

What “Parbate Raja” Means to Me

For me, Parbate Raja is not only a music video from 2019. It is also part of my continuing exploration of Nepali culture, locations, music, and visual storytelling.

Every project teaches a filmmaker something. Music videos, in particular, taught me to think about rhythm, movement, composition, performance, and atmosphere in ways that are different from conventional narrative filmmaking.

Parbate Raja allowed me to explore those elements while working with the traditional energy of Nepali Panchebaja music.

Preserving a Sense of Nepali Identity

As a Nepali filmmaker, I believe our culture and landscapes offer extraordinary possibilities for visual storytelling.

Our villages, traditions, music, festivals, communities, and natural environments can all become meaningful cinematic subjects. I want my work to maintain a connection with those elements while continuing to explore new forms of filmmaking.

With Parbate Raja, my intention was simple: to create a music video that feels Nepali, looks connected to its environment, and allows traditional music to communicate through contemporary visual storytelling.

Looking Back as a Filmmaker

Today, when I look back at Parbate Raja, I see it as one of the projects that contributed to my development as a director.

It represents a period of my filmmaking journey when I was exploring different formats and learning how music, performance, cinematography, editing, and location could come together to create a complete audiovisual experience.

I am proud to have been part of this project and grateful to everyone who contributed to it.

“Parbate Raja” is my visual interpretation of Nepali Panchebaja music—a meeting point between traditional sound, rural landscape, performers, and my perspective as a filmmaker.

— Bishal Lohane
Director | Writer | Filmmaker
Parbate Raja (2019)