Here are the first women in Nepali in the entertainment industry – in entertainment industries including film industry & fashion industry.

I should also do similar firsts in sports and media in coming days. Please comment if you know of such information.

First Actress of Nepal – Bhuwan Chand

The first movie featuring a female actress was ‘Aama’ and the first lead actress of the Nepali film industry Bhuwan Chand debuted in the movie. Being an actress in movies was not a reputable profession at that time. The movie was a Nepal government initiation and was made by the technicians from India.

First Miss Nepal – Ruby Rana

In 1994, when the first Miss Nepal was held, that was the first beauty contest to send Nepali contestants to international pageants. The society then was a backward and girls didn’t want to participate in such events. Ruby Rana made the bold decision and was crowned the first Miss Nepal in the history of Nepali entertainment industry.

First Supermodel of Nepal – Reha Rana

Reha Rana is the mother of well known model and actress, Paramita RL Rana and she was one of the first generation models of Nepal.

First Professional Fashion Designer of Nepal – Gyani Shova Tuladhar

Fashion designing is a relatively new profession in Nepal. It started in 1970 when five Nepali girls were sent to Bombay (Mumbai) for professional fashion designing training. That was made possible by social worker Tulsi Mehar Shrestha who made the arrangement for the training. The first five trainees were Sunita Malegu, Geeta Malegu, Rama Prajapati, Indira Prajapati and Gyanishova Tuladhar.

After the completion of the training and retuning back, Gyani Shova started fashion designing and sewing training in Kathmandu. Her target group were widows, disadvantaged girls and women who were taking refuge at Tulsi Mehar’s Ashram.

While working as a trainer, she got an order to design the dress of the air hostess for then Royal Nepal Aviation Corporation. For the air hostesses, she designed silk saree with Aankhi Jhyal design in the hem (the ancient peep-hole-windows). The airlines liked the design and Gyani Shova’s started as a professional fashion designer.

Gyani Shova Tuladhar was also appointed by ‘Sindoor’ film team as the dress designer for the film’s characters. In the start, the Indian actress, Mala Sinha, had refused to wear the dress designed by a Nepali designer. She demanded somebody from Mumbai be appointed the designer of her dress. Gyani Shova took it as a challenge and she designed the dress in such a way that Mala Sinha agreed to use the Nepali designer for her dress.

Gyani Shova is also credited of opening the first fashion design college in Nepal. In 2059 BS Gyani Shova Tuladhar stared Namuna College of Fashion Technology in Kathmandu.