monalisa patsani
post news network
Bhubaneswar, Sept 6: Oriya Cinematographer Sanjeev Mohapatra, who was the ‘director’s eye’ for several Hindi films and Oriya television serials, is set to direct a Hindi film ‘Pankh Armanon Ke’ under the banner of MDFA Films.
Shooting for the children’s film , whose screenplay has been written by Sanjeev’s wife Rashmi and in which his son Omm plays the lead role, is about halfway through. According to Sanjeev, the entire crew of the film is from Orissa in a bid to promote talent from the state.
“There are many talented people in the Oriya film industry but they are not getting what they deserve. We have excellent manpower and technicians who are well acclaimed in the Hindi film industry. I just wanted to bring everyone on one platform and show the world that we can also make good movies.”
Sanjeev’s film is about mother-child relation. “My film portrays the relation between a mother and child and deals with childhood depression which is taken wrongly by parents. Most often, a child suffering from depression ends up being treated as mad. It is true about Oriya children brought up away from the state and how they deal with being alienated,” he said.
So the film has been shot at Simla, Manali and Hyderabad. Sanjeev plans to rope in a Hindi actor to play the mother. “We have spoken with Vidya Balan and are awaiting a confirmation. She is already working on ‘Kahani 2’,” he said.
“She has liked the story and wants to do the film but she has issues with dates. She is 80 per cent likely to do the film but Juhi Chawla and Manisha Koirala could replace her if required,” Sanjeev added.
The director has specific reasons for why he chose these actors. “The subject is classic. It needs to reach the audience and we believe one of these actors can do justice to the key character which deals with a sensitive topic such as childhood depression. The lead character in this film himself attempts suicide.”
The debutant is hoping that he could release the movie in February 2017. “The film will also be sent to major festivals.”
The choice of Omm for the lead role was something natural for Sanjeev. “I chose him not because he is my son, but because he is very talented and has acted and won awards for roles in documentaries. I also needed someone who could dedicate his time to finish my film on time. Rashmi has written an excellent script which only a woman can do.”
Sanjeev, who has worked in films such as ‘Maruti Mera Dost’, ‘Courtroom Nautanki’ and television serials such as ‘Lakhon Mein Ek’, ‘Savdhan India’, ‘Shhh Koi hai’, ‘Horror Night’, ‘CID’, ‘Crime Patrol’, and ‘Kohinoor’ believes the Oriya film industry has stopped growing because of lack of professionalism.
“The only difference between Mumbai and Orissa is that people in Mumbai are professional. Another reason why Oriya industry is suffering is that a marathon has been started among directors to finish their films before others, a kind of competition which is not good.”
He created a revolution in Oriya cinema through the state award winning film ‘Swayamsidha’. Sanjeev is also working as director of photography and editor for two Hindi feature films ‘Brina’ and ‘Track the Mystery’ directed by Pawan Sharma with actors Sanjay Mishra, Hemant Pandey, Niraj Sood, Yashpal Sharma, and Rajesh Jayesh on its cast.
