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To continue the series “Initial Steps“, excerpts from an interview of Director Prakash Jha,
taken by Ajay Brahmatmaj , are presented here.

Ajay writes

I had started my interview series with the interview of Prakash Jha. He is my elder and to some extent my guide also. Perhaps it is difficult, at present, to evaluate the contribution of Prakash Jha to Hindi cinema but he has brought a new language to the Hindi cinema.

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[Following is the translation of the Hindi Interview and may not do full justice to the original interview so to read the exact sayings of Prakash Jha, one should go through the original interview. This is simply a trial to expose the interview to those readers who can not read Hindi at all]
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From now onwards Ajay Bramatmaj will be represented by AB and Prakash Jha by PJ.

Here is the first part of the interview.

AB: Tell me since beginning. When and why did you think to join films?

PJ: I was doing B.Sc (Hons) in Physics from Delhi University, but suddenly my mind started facing different kinds of questions.

I w’d complete my graduation and w’d pass civil service exams also to become an IAS. I don’t know why but I was not liking this idea. I had to face a lot of struggle. Family had its own apprehensions. But I left everything and came to Mumbai. I did not take any money from my father. I said to him,” As I am not doing what you like me to do so I will not take money from you”. My family was angry at me. All the people were sad with my decision. I had Rs 300 with me. I came to Mumbai but not for films. I had an interest in Painting. I had heard about JJ School of Arts. I wanted to join it. I said I w’d go there to make my life. I left the home. I had to do many things to make both end’s meet. I met with a gentleman in the train. I still can recall that his name was Raja Ram. He was in construction business and used to make buildings etc in Dahisar- a suburb of Mumbai. He gave me a place to sleep. In day time I used to search work.

AB: You had come to join JJ School of Arts then why this search of job etc?

PJ: After visiting JJ I got to know that semester would start after few months. I had a camera with me and it was my pride possession and I used to click some photos. As far as work is concerned, I got my first work in an English speaking institute. Businessmen used to come there to learn English as they needed to know it to interact with exporters. My English was good. I applied for the job of a tutor there and I got it. I was 19-20 years old then. I used to teach quite older people there. My teaching activities were finished in 3-4 hours only and after that I used to hang out in art galleries like Jahangir Art Gallery and JJ Art gallery and few others. In the mean time I met with a person living in the same building where I was also staying. His name was Agha Jani and he used to work as an art director in the films. He used to deal in glasses and he had designed and erected the sets for the film Dharma. Navin Nishchol, Pran and Rekha were acting in the film. Chand was the director. So Agha Ji saw me with my camera once and called me. He saw my pictures and served me tea. He took interest in me and my work. I thought he had liked my work and though that I could assist him in art direction work. Next day he was going somewhere and it was a Sunday so I asked him where he was going?. He replied me instantly that he was going to attend shooting of Dharma in the hotel, Sun and Sand. I asked him if I also could accompany him? He took me along with him. That was my first exposure with film world. After reaching to Mumbai I had not desired to see the shooting of a film or meeting with a star. I was completely immersed in my paintings. Anyway that day I went to see the shooting. Then there was no other hotel near Sun and Sand. Shooting for the song “Raj ko Raj rehne do” was going on. I liked the overall atmosphere there. I stood in a corner and saw shooting till 9 O’ Clock in the night. Agha Ji came twice to see me. In the night he came finally and told me that he was going back to home. I told him to proceed as I w’d come later. He left and I remained there for some more time. I had got the idea that I would do this only. Now I wanted to join films. I came back at home and reached to meet Agha Ji . He had not slept yet. I told him my desire to join films.
Next day I met him again and told him that I had got an aim in my life.

AB: Such a deep impact of watching first time the shooting of a film? How many films you had seen before that encounter? Did you like films before also? What was your relation with films as an audience?

PJ: My schooling was done at Army School of Tilaiya. After reaching to Delhi also, I was not like a die hard fan of films. I was a casual watcher. Pakizaa was released during my college days and that film I had seen 2-3 times. Painting, sculpting were my hobbies during school days. In Delhi I was exposed to the works of big artists. Seeing their works I used to get inspirations that I also could do something in these fields. But that day on Sun and Sand left magical impression on me. It was a wonderful day. I had felt as if I had got something significant.
Next day Agha Ji took me to the director Chaand saab and he accepted me as his 13th assistant. Deva was chief assistant then. I used to reach early in the morning to arrange chairs, tea etc. Whatever Deva used to say I followed his instructions. I saw and tried to understand everything. Some assistants were working for 4-5 years and Deva was working as an assistant for last 12-13 years. I became more interested in the film medium. I remained there for 5 days. I used to get Rs 5 daily.

AB: You remained as an assistant only for 5 days and that too on a daily wages of Rs 5 only?

PJ: Yes I used to get only Rs 5 for lunch. Then Chiliyas shop was there at Juhu Bus stop. I could have lunch there in Rs 1.5 only. Udipi restaurant used to give a big Thali in Rs 2.35 and that was more than sufficient for us to eat. I got an understanding in those five days that if I remained as an assistant only then there was no chance for next 12-13 years. After finishing the schedule for sixth day, I left for Pune. I reached at Pune film Institute and got to know that I was eligible for only one course. For other courses, graduation was the minimum qualification and I had not done the graduation. I came back to Mumbai and left Dahisar and started searching a job. I wanted to join such a job where I could get out time for education also. I applied in a restaurant of Taddev as they were opening their new branch in Colaba. Restaurants were owned by three brothers and one brother had studied at Army School and he gave me the job. I used to get Rs 300 per month. I took admission in a near by college and convinced teachers to give me attendance. I used to work from 9 O’ clock in morning till 9 O’ Clock in the night. In between I had spare time of 2-3 hours and I used to study in those hours. I used to save all my money. Later I used that money to pay fees in Pune Film Institute.

AB: When did you go to Pune?

PJ: That same year I went to Pune. I got admission in editing course. David Dhawan and Renu Saluja were there with me. Ketan Mehta, Kundan Shah, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Sayeed Mirza were studying direction there. Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri were also there. Such an illustrious batch did not come out again from FTII Pune. Ketan made a documentary and I edited it.
But after some time disturbances started occurring in the Institute. I had gone there in 1973 and I am talking about 1974. Girish Karnad was the director then. There was a strike in the Institute. There was a tussle between students and Girish Karnad and Administration closed the Institute.
We came to Mumbai and stayed at Shivendra Sinha’s house. His nephew Manjul Sinha was my friend. He was also doing course in direction from FTII. We people used to hang out here and there in day time and in the night we used to sleep at the floor in the house of Shivendra Sinha. Ajit Sinha was also there. Later he worked with me. To earn some money we used to write script etc. We used to arrange some money from Films division, Children film society etc. We got to know that Goa government wanted to make a documentary on Goan culture. One of my friend knew Shashikala Ji, who was the CM of Goa. We went to Goa to meet her and we got the work to make that documentary. Chhabrha saab used to run an advertising agency then and we used to do some works there also. We had a passion for film making. At last we finished the documentary “Under the Blue” in 1975. My first work came out in 1975.

AB: Was not your inclination towards documentaries temporary because you wanted to make feature films?

PJ: Nobody was giving us a chance to make a feature film. Documentary could be made in less money and it gave us an opportunity to show our work. From 1975 till 1981, I used to travel to make documentaries. I used to make films here and after collecting some money I used to go to England, Germany, France etc. I did some works there also. In 1979 I started making a documentary on the lives of ballet dancer Firoza Lali and her father. I visited Russia also for this purpose and later went to London to finish the documentary. This documentary took too much time as it was a long documentary. Financial problems were also there and I had to arrange money from various sources. But stay in Russia and London proved to be very important for me. I got media exposure in those 3-4 years in London. I got an approach towards documentary and realistic cinema. I felt as if somebody has shaken me to awake. I felt I was not doing much significant work. Year of 1980 was the year of my introspection. I searched inside me. As a filmmaker big changes came inside me. Dramatic picturization of reality, which is obvious in my later days films, came from that phase. Documentary was finished by the early 1981. It was 50 minutes long documentary and I had kept its title as “Dance by Two- A Story of father and daughter”.

AB: And when did you make documentary on the riots of Bihar Sharif?

PJ: I am coming to that documentary only. I was still in London and wanted to return to India. It was month of March and I was about to leave London when I got the news through BBC about the riots in Bihar Sharif. I saw the headline,” In the Hindu state of Bihar, Muslims are butchered”. I got a shock from this news. Many muslims were killed in those riots. After landing at Mumbai I went directly to the Films Division. Thapa Saab, NS Thapa, was the Chief producer there. He became very happy to see me. I said to him,” I have just returned from London and please give me a unit as I want to go to Bihar Sharif immediately”. A unit means camera and sound recordist etc.

AB: In between did you keep in touch with your family? Did not you feel difficulty in the absence of the family support?

PJ: My first documentary was released in 1975. At that time my father used to live in Motihari. He and my mother went to see a film and there they saw my documentary. They were astonished to see my film. My mother started crying. She said to my father,” Lets go to Mumbai immediately”. I used to live in Juhu as a paying guest. I used to do correspondence with my mother but had no communication with my father. All of a sudden they came to Mumbai. Then I had a talk with my father on an equal level. That status still remains between us. They lived for a week and it was a very good week. I showed them Mumbai. Whenever I think about those days I become emotional.

AB: Making of Director Prakash Jha took 8-9 years?

PJ: I find that time period between 1975 and 1981 was very important for me. During that period I was continuously travelling and learning. I developed an independent outlook after learning the process of film making. I learnt to see a thing in a proper manner. This period gave me a solid background. It made me determined and I became a daring person in life and in my work. My documentary on Bihar Sharif riots gave me a realistic approach. The work done before 1975 is not systematic. They did not have much significance.

AB: It can be said that your documentary on Bihar Sharif Riots changed your direction? You understood the importance of realistic picturization and perhaps you got an inspiration to make feature films?

PJ: I used everything whatever I had learnt before 1975. That documentary was direct and hard hitting. If you see that film now, you will find that riots were stopped by then but a tension was there. I talked to riots affected people living in riots affected area. People were silent and fear of riots was still there visible on their faces but their eyes were communicating everything. I visited jails to talk to the people. I visited refugee camps. What happened to them and how it happened? I recorded everything. VS Dube was the special magistrate there. Later he retired from the post of Chief Secretary of Jharkhand. I met him and he gave me full freedom to meet anyone anywhere. He said that I should not conceal anything. I got a courage from his approach. I used a poem of Shaival in the end of my film. That poem was published in Dharmyug and I used it after getting his permission. Later I made a film Damul, which was based on one of his stories. Anyway Documentary was finished and submitted to Films Division. Advisory board saw the documentary. Hrishikesh Mukharjee was the chairman of the advisory board. He came out with a tensed face and asked,” Who has made this film”?.
People indicated towards me. He hugged me and started crying. He praised my film a lot. Film was released but after 4-5 days only, a ban was imposed on it. All the prints were taken back. Later that year my film got the National Award in the best documentary category.

Second part of the interview can be read here Prakash Jha : Deepti Naval and I never cherished any negativity between us

Third part of the interview can be read here Prakash Jha : Politically I am not biased & all filmwalla people are not perverted

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