Upasana Singh Thakuri

Upasana Singh Thakuri is a Nepali actress who has been making waves in the Nepali film industry, with her distinctive acting style and ability to delve deep into different characters. She has gained popularity with her roles in a variety of genres, from sports dramas to romantic comedies and historical films.

Early Life
Upasana Singh Thakuri was born on 20th September 1998. Though details about her childhood and schooling life are primarily not disclosed, her passion for acting came into limelight with her debut in 2019.

Career
Debut and Early Success (2019)
Thakuri marked her debut as an actress in 2019 through the sports drama Captain, which was directed by Diwakar Bhattarai and co-starred with Anmol K.C. The film was produced by Bhuwan K.C. and Jiya K.C. under Super Kajal Films. Though her performance was noted as promising, she was criticized by a few critics for not being able to convey a large range of emotions. Despite the mixed reviews, her debut earned her a nomination for Best Debut Actor (Female) at the Dcine Awards and NEFTA Film Awards, making her a promising new face in the industry.

Later in 2019, Thakuri played in Kabaddi Kabaddi Kabaddi, which is a Nepali romantic comedy film directed by Ram Babu Gurung. The film became a huge box office hit and broke the opening record in Nepal. Her performance was well praised, and many critics mentioned lots of improvement since her previous performance. According to one critic,
“In contrast to her previous performance in Captain, Thakuri has also grown much. She portrays many different emotions using competent facial expressions, body gestures, and speeches.”
This acting established her place as a shooting star in Nepali cinema.

Developing Career and National Success (2021-2022)
In 2021, she worked in Pravin Jha’s December Falls starring Aaryan Sigdel. The film validated her adaptability and ability to change genres from comedy. The same year saw her receiving the National Navdurga Award due to her devotion and dedication towards the Nepali film industry.

She appeared in Dipendra Lama’s Dui Nambari, featuring Dayahang Rai and Saugat Malla, in 2022. The movie was a box office hit, cementing her place in the industry further.

Major Breakthrough and Critical Acclaim (2024)
The year 2024 was a breakthrough year for Thakuri as two major film releases:

Hattichhap – A social drama comedy movie where she reunited with Dayahang Rai and Saugat Malla. The February 2024 release was favored by the people.

Khusma – A romantic drama film from Ashok Thapa Magar, long anticipated. She appeared in the starring role along with Dhiraj Magar in a story revolving around the Nepalese Civil War. To prepare for it, she heavily researched by traveling to Maikot village in Rukum district where the movie takes place. She interacted with the locals to understand how they endured the war and admitted getting teary-eyed while listening to their tales. Critics praised her multi-dimensional and emotional performance as the best so far.

Impact of “Khusma”
The trailer of the movie and its songs were trending on No.1 on YouTube Nepal, generating huge hype before it was released.
The song of the movie “Rukum Maikot” set the record for the first Nepali movie song to go viral worldwide on YouTube, holding the top position on Nepal’s trending list for over two weeks.
With extensive word-of-mouth publicity and good word of mouth, the movie achieved commercial success, with on-screen chemistry between Thakuri and Dhiraj Magar garnering high praise.