Picture this: you’re basking under the sun scrolling Instagram one lazy winter afternoon, and there it is—a clip from a Nepali movie that’s sparked countless memes. A few swipes later, you’re humming a catchy tune from a TikTok trend you swore you wouldn’t get hooked on. Minutes later, you open YouTube to watch the trailer of a film people can’t stop talking about.

This sums up Nepali pop culture in 2024—a whirlwind of viral moments, catchy music, and melodramatic movies that kept us glued to our screens. Let’s take a look at some of those moments.

The listing is in no order.

Movies: The good, the bad, and the tearjerkers

Many movies garnered a fuss this year, but ‘Purna Bahadurko Sarangi’ stole the show. Directed by Saroj Paudel, the film made everyone gather in cinema halls and cry on their way out.

Bijay Baral’s effort, combined with a melodramatic showcase of the caste struggles, was enough dough for Paudel to create a feast. Plus, seeing the audience’s reaction on social media played out in the movie’s favour. Apparently, many of us believe that “If it makes you cry, it has to be good.” And it was because ‘Purna Bahadurko Sarangi’ became the highest-grossing Nepali film ever, doing a business of over Rs480 million.

Lately, social drama films have been a trend. Every change in theatres looked like the same film where the poster design was slightly tweaked. It seems many filmmakers don't look for new ideas; they look for new social issues. Such films thrive by showing extreme poverty or suffering of the main protagonist.

‘Boksi Ko Ghar’ is one such movie where the protagonist’s sorrow and melodrama are over the top. The director, Sulakshyan Bharati, decided his plot device would be an innocent woman’s never-ending troubles. She suffered and suffered and died. In the end, the movie left you feeling empty and enraged.

Despite repeating similar patterns, movies about social issues did well this year. This means two good things are happening. First, people are growing weary of societal injustices and want them addressed. A way to do this is through mainstream movies starring popular actors. Second, these films have effectively informed people of our country's social and caste dynamics.

The movie industry is definitely doing its part to address social issues.

One of the most-anticipated releases of this year was ‘Chhakka Panja 5’, where actor Deepak Raj Giri became ‘Raja’ for the fifth time. The team behind the ‘Chhakka Panja’ series have delivered for many years. But this year, they had more misses than hits. The movie, like always, leans toward both comedy and social satire. But unlike the previous projects, the comedy part falls flat. Although the film achieved a huge commercial success, it has an IMDB rating of 5.6/10. This makes you wonder: how can a movie be poorly received but still do well?

The Nepali movie industry is known for producing many average action films, but a couple of such movies this year proved otherwise. ‘Agastya’ is one such movie. Though long, it is gripping and ends on a strong note. The visuals are well-shot, and the acting is pretty good. The other successful movie is ‘12 Gaun’, which ran for a long time in theatres. The improved action scenes are the film's highlight, but its South Indian template robs viewers of originality.

Unlike any other films released this year, ‘Shambhala’ is meditative. It is good even without the masala, glamour, and songs made for TikTok. Although many viewers deem the movie confusing and ‘too long,’ it is exactly the kind of film we need. The acting, music, and absorbing story make this movie worthwhile. Indian director Anurag Kashyap and actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s arrival for the movie's premiere also caused quite a stir, hyping the movie.

‘Behuli from Meghauli’ proved to be a satisfying watch. Swastima Khadka’s portrayal of a desperate woman in love is well-executed. However, the movie did become a victim of the audience’s idiosyncrasies. The very act of going to the theatre, pulling out a phone, recording the movie and posting it online sounds idiotic, but it happens more often. It happens so much that one of the producers, Nischal Basnet, took to social media, saying, “Whoever records the movie on theatre and posts online, their social accounts will be banned. I want to thank the Cyber Bureau for supporting this step. It is a request not to steal intellectual property, and piracy is a crime.” Even the Film Development Board got involved and issued a warning.

An article (published on Kalakarmi.com) regarding this particular issue says that these days, ‘TikTok Review’ decides the fate of the movie maker. This means that once people see the reviews of movies on TikTok, they decide whether to watch them or not. Quoting this article, Raj Giri almost sarcastically wrote on Facebook, “If this news is true, then what will happen to our future?”

Many viewers see this as a good sign because the public’s review is much more believable to the public.

The other film that came and went this year is ‘Farki Farki’. After last year’s embarrassing flop, ‘Chhadke 2.0’, Anmol KC breathed a sigh of relief, as this year’s release wasn’t a total letdown.

‘Bom Bahadur’ sneaked into the theatres and, after a few days, left as quietly as it came. The film didn't even last a week.

Also, many Nepali feature films, including ‘Gaun Aayeko Bato’ and ‘The Red Suitcase’, went global this year. Overall, 2024 was good for Nepali films, although we await a fresh and innovative approach to cinema.

Music: Virals and struggles

If 2024 had a soundtrack, it would be ‘Rukum Maikot’. You could not travel by public transport or scroll social media without listening to SD Yogi and Shanti Shree Pariyar’s voices. At one point, it was on global trending on YouTube.

Before this, it was ‘Gorkhe Khukuri’ sung by Nischal Dawadi and Pariyar. Then came, ‘Kasmire Pachhyauri’. Social media supported these already catchy songs. Undoubtedly, a song’s popularity on TikTok plays a huge part. Once the song is hit on social platforms, people will slowly gravitate towards YouTube to listen. Let’s just hope that in this pursuit, we don’t start making songs just for people to dance on TikTok.

Other numerous hits slowly emerged as the year went on. Bhupu Pandey’s ‘Pirai Pir’ is a relatable one. The song describes walking around faking a smile while you fight a hidden turmoil. Yabesh Thapa’s ‘Kasari’ reminds me of the winter in February when the song kept appearing on the feed. The other contrasting song that feels like summer is Sajjan Raj Vaidya’s ‘9841’. Although the lyrics are its weakness, the song carries a nice vibe. Shades of AP Dhillion’s ‘With You’ keeps oozing out of this song. Wangden Sherpa’s ‘Tadha Tadha’ (featuring Prajina) carries a similar summery vibe.

When the ‘Chhakka Panja 5’ release date neared, they launched ‘Breakup Song’. The comedic approach used here is refreshing. While there are conflicting views, the song became a huge hit. I don’t know what’s funny, the song or Deepa Shree Niraula asking, “Which one?” when she is informed her ex has died.

If you thought we were done, we weren’t. Sushant KC dropped ‘Bardali’, and its popularity has risen dramatically. Sometime later, Ekdev Limbu dropped the soothing ‘Jhim Jhimaune Aankha’. The other soothing song released this year is ‘Udaayo Mann’ from ‘Behuli from Meghauli’.

Despite great music and a vibrant scene, the industry has unresolved issues.

Some independent artists, Piroo Rana, Amit Jung, and Abiskar Bikram Gautam, spoke about their struggles and how ‘viral’ songs hurt their sincere efforts. Many struggle to get noticed, with viral trends dictating what becomes popular.

Besides persisting challenges, the Nepali music scene had a good year. Music producer Aasis Beats became the first Nepali to reach number one on Billboard after topping the UK Hip-Hop/R&B charts with British rapper Central Cee’s song ‘Band4Band’.

Another big moment this year was Sonu Nigam’s arrival in the valley. The iconic singer, who has voiced many beloved Bollywood hits, sang for Kathmandu on Wednesday.

However, this year, we lost a gem: Bhakta Raj Acharya, also known as Bhajan Shiromani. Throughout his career, he sang 400 songs, including ‘Hajar Sapana Haruko’, ‘Jati Chot Dinchhau’ and ‘Mutu Jalirahechha’.

Memes: A means of expression

Meme season changes every two weeks. With an infinite loop of content to view online, people keep coming up with new things to laugh at.

Most memes circulating on Nepali meme pages are based on what is happening in the country. To understand memes, one must be aware of recent political and social developments. Memes are also the public’s way of saying what they feel.

MemeNepal picked up on Nepal’s deteriorating air quality and pollution through a screengrab from the movie ‘PK’. In it, Aamir Khan sits at a railway station after an explosion, his face covered in dust, and the meme reads, ‘My white shoes these days.’

Similarly, people fill out the EDV form seeking employment in the US every year, but only a few are selected. A meme emerged to express missing out on the lottery.

The meme community struck gold when the Nepal Premier League (NPL) began. NPL memes were especially targeted at teams struggling in the tournament. In one of the games, when Lumbini Lions were on the brink, MemeNepal posted a photo of actor Rajesh Hamal wearing the team’s jersey.

The meme read, ‘Only person who can save Lumbini Lions.’

But who can forget that we began 2024 with the ‘What’s that, brother?’? A remix of this meme even made it to Spotify. I hope this wasn't featured on anyone’s Spotify Wrapped.

However, the ‘Chill Guy’ grabbed the most attention this year. In it, there is a laid-back dog with hands in his pocket. This guy doesn’t care about the chaos around him. Why? It is because he is just a chill guy. Period.

Philip Banks, the creator behind this meme, wrote on X, “my new character. his whole deal is he's a chill guy that lowkey doesn't give a (expletive).”

This meme sparked many conversations, with some saying it is improving men’s mental health. Even El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, posted the meme on X, announcing that he is just a chill guy. The dog even made it out of our devices. Someone painted the meme on a wall in Bangalore, India.

However, Banks, who started it all, has decided to copyright his creation. According to a story published in the Hindustan Times, any commercial use of the meme can result in serious legal action.

All said and done, Nepali pop culture remained vibrant throughout 2024. Even with countless ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’, the songs made us groove, movies made us cry, and memes made us laugh. Along with their entertainment value, the three core elements of popular culture reflected the public’s sentiment.