Manish Pandit appointed Film Development Board Chairman
KATHMANDU:- Manish Pandit, the newly appointed Chairman of the Film Development Board—the apex body of the Nepali film industry—has taken the oath of office and secrecy. Appointed as the Board’s Chairman by a Cabinet meeting on Ashoj 30, he took the oath and received his appointment letter from Minister Dr. Bikram Timilsina at the Ministry of Information and Communications in Singha Durbar on Monday.
Immediately following his oath-taking, Chairperson Pandit arrived at the Board’s office in Saraswati Nagar, Chabahil, and assumed his duties. Manish—who previously served as a box office consultant during the tenure of Nikita Paudel (wife of Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane) as Board Chairperson—is the 19th Chairperson of the Board. The term of office for the Board Chairperson is set at two years.
Following the conclusion of the tenure of the outgoing chairperson, Dinesh DC, the Ministry of Communications invited applications for the position on Ashoj 1. Twelve individuals, including Pandit, submitted applications. From among them, Manish Pandit, Nisha Adhikari, and Naresh Kumar Paudel were shortlisted, and their names were forwarded to the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers approved Pandit’s name from among the three candidates.
Chairman Pandit is also a film producer and writer. He ventured into film production with the 2017 release *Gangster Blues*, directed by Hemraj BC, serving as its executive producer. Following this, he worked for a period as a box office consultant for the Board; now, approximately eight years later, he has returned to the same Board as its Chairman.
