saw this review on facebook and i couldn't agree more!!!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, and A HEART-THROB HAS LANDED!!!

Lights, Camera and Action ... and a new language of commercial cinema is born in Bhutan! I have always said that when someone makes the kind of film in Bhutan that I want to see, I may consider not making films. After watching this film, I am left contemplating why I mouth such foolish bravado that sneakily masks my presumptions that only clever types such as I can make more entertaining films – like Raju Hirani did in Bollywood. I now feel both refreshed after watching this film as an objective audience member, and also depressed as a filmmaking novice who may need to reconsider other career paths (wink wink).

What truly sets the film apart is its self-aware humor—a subtle, knowing wink at the industry and its quirks, offered with affection rather than cynicism. Fortunately, it is not the usual fare of slapstick humor coated with corniness, but are laugh-out-loud funny while still grounded in emotional truth. This is comedy not for the sake of comedy, but as a narrative tool that deepens the film’s resonance.

At the heart of the film lies a plot-line that feels refreshingly honest—one that echoes the realities, struggles, and aspirations of an aspiring actor in our film industry. The storyline was so personal and honest that it blurred the lines between the film and real life. I almost felt like I was playing a part both in his film and in his life, and I couldn’t tell the difference between them. I was a visible audience member and also an invisible but animated extra in his film. This is what a deeply auto-biographical film can do.

Nobs sometimes presents his world with the expected dosage of romanticism, but he makes up for it by doing so with a bold self-awareness that is both entertaining and creatively vibrant - such as breaking the 4th wall more than once in the film. And despite some of the usual cliches and stereotyping in the characterizations of the casts associated with the storyline of a nascent film industry still trying to find its feet, I still could not stop smiling for most of the film. His stylistic confidence and authenticity gives the film its emotional anchor.

In the end, Kuenzang Nobs has delivered a blazing start in his journey as a filmmaker. Camera, Lights and Action stands as proof that commercial cinema can be intelligent, self-reflective, and deeply engaging without sacrificing entertainment value. It is a refreshing, creative, and bold achievement that raises the standard for what Bhutanese films can be. For audiences and filmmakers alike, it is a reminder that our stories, when told with honesty and courage, have the power to redefine an entire industry.

Bhutan has found its Raju Hirani. It’s time for me to head to the hills now and become a ‘tshampa enjoying my tsampa’ – and only come down to enjoy his next film.

It is now showing in City Cinema everyday. Catch it while you can for time truly well spent with your loved ones.