It's the Belief in Self that Matters

Fulfilling a father’s dream is one of the best things a child can do, and debut film Director Satyam Jha Suman was lucky enough in this regard. However, directing his first feature film in two different languages was not a cakewalk, finds Akanki Sharma, an aspiring journalist. Excerpts from an interview:

What is Apna Haath Jagannath all about and when can we expect the release?

Apna Haath Jagannath is a feature film and has been produced in two different languages-Odia and Bhojpuri. These are produced by Shanti Media & Entertainment and I have directed both. Also, the lead male actors in both the films are different. The one in Odia language casts Rudra, who has already done two films earlier and in the Bhojpuri one, well-known Bhojpuri artist Rajkumar has stolen the show. The talented and gorgeous Upasana is the leading actress who is making her debut and has acted in both the films. The film is a romantic comedy and its music is composed by Odisha’s veteran Music Director Shri Swaroop Naik.

Apna Haath Jagannath means self-belief and that is what my film is based on. Currently, it is on the post-production stage and we have decided to release it on July 31, 2015.

Satyam Jha Suman

Directing first feature film is much more than just a film. It’s indeed a great experience and learning. You have to manage about 75 members in your unit. A Director is not only responsible for directing and getting things done, rather he has to take care of the basic things for his unit members. 

Have you always been planning to be a Director or it just happened by chance?

I did not plan to be a Director.  I am a creative Video Editor by profession. This film was being planned for the past five to six years, as it was my father’s dream. He is in the film industry for the past 31 years and heads Odisha for the prestigious Rajshri Productions (P) Ltd. Being brought up in a family having film background, I had gained a little interest in filmmaking since childhood. However, I was much interested in going with cricket as my career but that didn’t work out unfortunately.

Directing the very first film, there might be a few challenges. How did you overcome those?

Directing first feature film is much more than just a film. It’s indeed a great experience and learning. You have to manage about 75 members in your unit. A Director is not only responsible for directing and getting things done, rather he has to take care of the basic things for his unit members. For instance, whether they had food or not, is there anyone facing any kind of problem and much more. From shooting in a luxury hotel to a small dry cleaner’s shop with four HMI lights and six solar lights on a summer day of March-April is what a Director is meant to do.

Directing a film in two different languages is so difficult that one cannot imagine the actual scenario unless he is himself present on the spot. I myself have prompted many actors in this film to perform better and got the scene perfect. It was a huge task for me and when I see at the editing table right now, I am happy with the results.

What is the next big thing in your mind?

The next big thing in my mind is the audience’s response on the day of release. I do not dream big about being a famous person or trend on twitter some day (giggles), just a happy life is more than enough. At the moment, we are working on our next story, which will take time. Our plan is to produce one family entertainment film every year.