Revanti Khadka is one among hundreds of moviegoers waiting in a long queue at the QFX Jalma in Narayangarh, Chitwan.

A queue this long is rare when a Nepali feature is being screened in the hall. The scorching sun does not seem to deter these film aficionados; Chhakka Panja is being screened here today.

“It has been a while since I watched a Nepali film,” Khadka says. “And it is the first time that I have waited in a queue this long to watch a Nepali film.” Once done watching the comedy feature, she was brimming with satisfaction. “I came here because the film featured such popular comedians. But now I am amazed because the comedians also made us cry at times. I liked the movie; it is better than I had expected.”

These are heady days for Chhakka Panja, Depashree Niraula’s debut feature. The film has already collected a gross collection north of Rs 25,000,000 within just a week of its release. After winning rave reviews from audiences in the Capital, the film is also winning hearts in the mofussil.

“This is a new record for Nepali cinema. Chhakka Panja has done business like any Bollywood blockbuster would do,” says Biokash Pokharel, manager of QFX Jalma. “Last time we saw a crowd as dense as this was when Kabaddi Kabaddi was screening.”

Speaking over phone, the film’s director Deepashree Niraula shared: “We have got rave reviews. Almost all halls in mofussil are housefull. This is only possible because the audience have given us such immense love.”

Chhakka Panja, released on September 9, features actors Deepak Raj Giri, Priyanka Karki, Namrata Sapkota, Barsha Raut, Jitu Nepal, Kedar Ghimire, Shiva Hari Poudel and Buddhi Tamang, among others.

*This artcile has been edited for accuracy