Meet Aum Prakash Mohapatra, who has worked in many hit films such as Bang Bang, Taare Zameen Par, Chandni Chowk to China, My Name Is Khan, Ashoka and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham as a Jimmy Jib operator. Besides, he was the cinematographer for Odia films Jai Jagannath, Bou and Salabudha. Prakash is regarded as a star technician in the Hindi film industry for being the first Jimmy Jib operator. He is one among the many Odia people who have made their presence felt in Bollywood as part of the team behind many blockbuster movies. Sunday POST chatted with the cinematographer cum Jimmy Jib operator to know more about his journey in the film industry.
Prakash started as an assistant cinematographer in Halo. Later, in 1996, he assisted renowned cinematographer Santosh Sivan in Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se.
Hailing from Subarnapur district and now settled in Mumbai, Prakash is a postgraduate in Political Science from Sambalpur University. His elder brother, Sabyasachi Mohapatra, is a noted film director from Odisha.
In the late nineties, camera equipment called ‘Jimmy Jib’ was introduced in the Hindi film industry and Prakash was lucky enough to become the first Jimmy Jib operator.
Prakash recounts, “While shooting a commercial for Centro car, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who was the model, saw the Jimmy Jib brought by the Chinese crew for the shoot. Seeing the multidimensional features of the device, he wanted to buy one to use in films. SRK also knew that without a trained Indian operator there was no point in introducing this latest device in the Hindi film industry. He sought the advice of cinematographer Santosh Sivan, with whom he has done many hit films. Santosh was not interested in the Jib. However, he suggested my name. Accordingly, I was sent to the US for short term training on the Jib. After that, I started working in Hindi films as a Jimmy Jib operator. Since the device was new at that time, many directors wanted to use it in their films and soon I became popular even among the stars.”
Today, there are several Jimmy Jib operators, but Prakash enjoys the credit of being the first operator. A Jib is basically a crane with a camera attached on one end and a counterweight and the camera controls on the other end. This crane permits the camera to be moved vertically, horizontally, or in a combination of the two. It is often mounted on a huge tripod or similar support. Since the camera operator is often not able to use the camera’s controls directly or look through the camera’s viewfinder, a Jib is used in conjunction with a remote-controlled camera for movement, focus and zoom through a portable video monitor. Jib is a device in demand even in today’s film industry, though now they use upgraded versions.
As a Jimmy Jib operator, Prakash has many Bollywood blockbusters to his credit like Dhoom, Khakee, Mohabattein, My Name Is Khan, The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey, Veer-Zaara, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Ashoka, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Khakee, Paanch, Chandni Chowk to China, Bluffmaster! and Taare Zameen Par. He is also the Director of Photography (DOP) of Jai Jagannath that released in thirteen languages and Odia films Bou, Salabudha and Mana Rahigala Tamarithare.
Prakash says, “I feel lucky that I am doing this work in the Hindi film industry. I have worked with all the top-notch actors from Amitabh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan. I have also got the chance to travel to several countries for shoots and am now enjoying my stardom as a celebrity technician. Yet, my heart always remains with my birthplace Odisha, and I am proud to be an Odia. I love ‘pakhala’ (watered rice) and believe that whatever I have achieved is due to the blessings of Lord Jagannath and the good wishes of the people of Odisha.”
Himanshu Guru, OP