‘Sapati Kaka’ aims to showcase cultural richness globally

Kathmandu, Apr. 4:Diwakar Bhandari, popularly known by his character name ‘Sapati Kaka’, is a typical Nepali comedian.

He has been doing comedy serials for around three decades. 

At present, he is the writer, director and actor of the widely acclaimed Nepali sitcom television series ‘Meri Bassai’.

 Bhandari was born in Annapurna Rural Municipality, now part of Pokhara Metropolitan City-6, in 1977 to Tulasi Prasad Bhandari and Roki Bhandari. 

He began doing plays in 1992 at a young age while studying in school and faced the camera for the first time in 1996. 

 Although no one in his family was in the entertainment industry, Bhandari was inclined towards comedy from a young age.

 His acting career started during his school days, initially working behind the scenes as a writer and director.

 In 1996, he stumbled upon a minor role in a television serial called ‘Dhun’, marking the beginning of his acting career. 

Subsequently, he established a cultural club in Pokhara and participated in theatrical productions. 

Later in 2003, he moved to Kathmandu and started working in the entertainment industry, mostly in television dramas, which he is actively continuing. 

Over the years, he has released four folk duet albums and contributed two songs to films. 

Despite the failure of his directorial debut film, ‘Meri Ganga’, which starred actors like Rekha Thapa and Syukta KC, Bhandari remained determined in the arts sector. 

He has worked on several comedy tele-serials such as ‘Khichadi’, ‘Gadbadi’, ‘AK 47’, ‘Maaf Paau’, ‘La Khattam’, ‘Khaskhus’,and ‘Meri Bassai’. 

Among these, he has written and directed ‘La Khattam’, ‘Gadbadi’, ‘Maaf Paau’. He also directed a short film titled ‘Itihas’, as well as ‘Meri Bassai’.

 His role as ‘Sapati Kaka’ began in the serial called ‘Gadbadi’ in 2015, where he portrayed a character who borrowed money from others but fled without returning it. In addition to his television work, he hosted a radio programme in Pokhara for over a decade. 

Bhandari believes that television serials have a greater appeal than silver screen films because Nepali films often fail to target the right audience and are inaccessible to many due to high ticket prices and lack of theatres in villages. 

He has ambitions to venture into filmmaking and has meticulously crafted four scripts titled ‘Prem Prasad’, ‘Bhagwan Meri Aama’, ‘Garbe’, and ‘Bidhawa Dhaan’. 

He is now actively seeking producers interested in bringing these narratives to life on the silver screen. 

Passionate about showcasing Nepali culture and rural life through art, Bhandari has written over 109 plays, including street plays, radio plays, one-act plays, and Kachahari plays, focusing mainly on awareness generation.

Even though he only completed SLC, he is now writing plays, films and TV serials. 

He believes that experience has taught him writing, stating, “Even though I am not academically proficient, my experience has taught me writing.” He is committed to acting and aims to stick to this field for his lifetime.

In addition to acting, Bhandari is also involved in social service. He has been teaching five orphaned children in Pokhara for six years. 

Art is like a mother, God, and everything to Bhandari, and he intends to continue writing and directing for his lifetime. 

Now, he harbours the wish to introduce Nepali art and culture to the world through films, TV serials, and dramas.