The film stars Dayahang Rai as the central character Harke, a man who comes to Kathmandu in the hopes of finding a way to go overseas to work and earn some much-needed cash. Unfortunately, the manpower company that Harke enlists to facilitate that journey turns out to be fraudulent, and the poor man loses all his cash. Devastated, he goes to a bar to drink away his sorrows. At the bar, he comes across a man called Angur (Shisir Rana), who invites Harke to his house, where he is introduced to Riya (Priyanka Karki), a glamorous call girl. But the next morning only has more to add to Harke’s woes when he discovers that Angur has disappeared, taking along Harke’s bag, which was packed with all his documents. Then begins a crazy, rollercoaster ride of a day for both Harke and Riya, as they search for the missing man and the all-important ‘jhola’. Compounding the problem is the appearance of Bhangeri Don (A Gurung), a gangster also hunting for Angur. A few more characters are introduced along the way, and what you have soon is enough chaos to elicit some hearty laughs.

Jholay’s story as such isn’t the most out-of-the-box. But the sequences have been timed and executed with finesse, and it does keep one hooked. Although Khanal’s earlier films, such as Dharma, Chapali Height and Vigilante, did not really win over audiences, he seems to have put those hard-earned lessons to good use. Of course, he is helped in this by an able cast. Rai, who is one of the film industry’s golden boys at the moment, keeps up well with both the funny bits and more romantic scenes; he acts with an admirable effortlessness that lends authenticity to his role. As for Karki, she too maintains her ground here, although there are a couple of slips in certain places where she can seem a little inexperienced. But the cast member who steals the show is definitely Gurung, who is thoroughly hilarious in his portrayal of the don.

Jholay, then, is probably one of the more effective Nepali comedies we’ve seen on the big screen in recent years. It is certainly the best among Khanal’s work, and aside from a few snags, makes for an entertaining couple of hours at the cinema.