Newly appointed Chairman of the Film Development Board Manish Pandit has assumed office from today, October 26,2026.
Pandit was welcomed with flower garlands by employees and other officials at the board. He received his appointment letter as a chairman at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.
The Cabinet selected him on October 16,2026.
Twelve people applied for the post. A selection committee sent three names to the government: Pandit, film producer and director Naresh Kumar Poudel, and actress Nisha Adhikari. The Cabinet picked Pandit.
Who Pandit is
Pandit is a producer, writer and film-industry technology professional. He is comparatively lesser known to the public unlike some earlier chairpersons, who were actors or directors.
His film credits are associate producer on Zayra and a production role on Gangster Blues (2017). He began in the industry as the manager of actress Namrata Shrestha, then moved into production, including Soul Sister and Gangster Blues, and later started his own company.
His most relevant experience for the job is on the technology side. He worked as an expert and adviser while the board’s box-office system and cinema e-ticketing were being put in place.He had a key role in box-office IT during former chairperson Nikita Poudel’s time.
What the board does
The Film Development Board was set up on June 30, 2000. It links filmmakers, film businesses and the government. Its work includes policy, research, promotion, festivals, incentives and licensing. That affects how films are made, shown and promoted, and so it matters to technicians, artists and cinema operators as well as directors.
What awaits him
Industry has several problems:
- Box-office reporting: reliable ticket-sales data would help the industry see audience numbers and earnings.
- The film bill: representatives say it is stalled in Parliament. Director Janakdeep Parajuli said moving it forward, and writing the regulations, should come first.
- Investment risk: Critic Samipya Raj Timilsena pointed to weak research into what audiences want and the commercial risk to producers.
- Skills and welfare: representatives want better technical training and better conditions for artists. They disagree on whether a new indoor studio is the priority.
His tech background may help with some of this.
The people before him
Bhuwan KC was appointed chairman in July 2022. Dinesh DC took over in 2024, and his two-year term ended in September 2026. Rabi Lal Sharma, a ministry joint secretary, acted as chairman while the post was vacant. The question each time is whether a new chairman leaves lasting changes. Pandit will be judged on that, not only on his credits.
