Sunday evening was a blur for Dinesh Deokota, director of A Rough Cut on the Life and Times of Lachuman Magar, a candid profile of a naughty old Magar man.

Now, a few days after his film came in second and won a cash prize of $ 1000 at the biennial festival of South Asian documentaries, Film South Asia, Deokota is letting his victory sink in and acknowledging the accolades.

"Now, I truly feel like a documentary filmmaker," says the visibly happy Deokota. Competing against 44 other impressive entries, Deokota's film only goes to prove that the genre of documentary and short film-making is coming into its own in Nepal.

"I've been in the audio-visual production line for five or six years and produced nothing significant. This is the one that has been recognised," says Deokota, who quit a promising career in hotel management to make films.

When the 27-year-old came across Lachuman Magar in a Bardiya hotel in west Nepal, where the former Indian Gorkha cleans toilets and makes up tourists' beds for a living, Deokota just knew he had to film him.

"Lachuman is everyman," says Deokota. "I don't think his story is uncommon. It reflects our society. A simple man, no pretences." Lachuman's character (still feisty despite the many blows life has dealt him, he has no regrets and finds much to laugh about) and Deokota's skilful piecing together of his varied and colourful life, obviously impressed the jury, that included noted Indian director Shyam Benegal.

"A picaresque account of an ordinary man-made extraordinary by his appetite for life and love. This film is a fine example of cin? verite," reads the jury's citation.

It's no wonder Devkota can't stop smiling. The filmmaker plans to return to Bardiya soon to show Lachuman the film and to build his family a tube well. In the meantime, he'll continue filming bungee jumps-his bread-and-butter-to fund more films.

On hold is Deokota's ethnography on jhankris (shamans)-one of the protagonists died and another is working in Saudi Arabia, and Deokota is trying to raise money. But he's also playing with the possibility of doing an anti-poaching film in west Nepal.

So has he got some funding?

"No, no. I'm not even looking for any. I don't think it's a good idea," he says. "The whole dynamics change. You lose control. It's not your film anymore. It becomes a mere mouthpiece."
Now that's a rare breed-a truly independent filmmaker.

Deokota receiving certificate and cash prize for Second Best Film from member of the Jury at Film South Asia, Professor Firdous Azim.