Odisha-born director Ashish Panda is earning praise for his recent film Tum Mere Ho, featuring Gurmeet Choudhary and Isha Malviya.
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Hailing from Brajrajanagar, Ashish has directed several popular music videos, including ‘Kabhi Yaadon Mein Aao’, ‘Humnava Mere’ and ‘Toh Aagaye Hum’. He has also collaborated with leading music label T-Series on several projects.
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In an exclusive interview, Ashish opens up about his journey from Odisha to the Hindi film industry, the challenges of establishing himself as a director, the setbacks he has faced and his experience working on Tum Mere Ho.
As a budding director from Odisha, what challenges have you faced in getting your stories noticed in the competitive film industry?
Filmmaking is challenging, regardless of where you come from. However, for someone from a small town in Odisha, the journey can be even more demanding. Understanding the industry, adapting to its working environment and finding your place takes years of effort and experience.
When you enter commercial filmmaking, you become part of a highly competitive industry where expectations are high. You have to establish your identity and demonstrate what makes your work different. I always believed that I had a strong sense of music and the ability to tell a compelling musical love story. I eventually got the opportunity to bring that vision to life, and the appreciation it received was encouraging.
What inspired you to pursue filmmaking, and how has your journey from Odisha shaped your vision as a director?
I have admired filmmakers Raj Kapoor and Subhash Ghai since childhood. Their work inspired me to pursue direction, and I always knew that filmmaking was what I wanted to do. I was pursuing engineering when I decided to follow my passion and left before completing my final examinations. I subsequently began working with filmmaker Kundan Shah, who was an institution in himself. Several prominent directors learnt their craft under his guidance, and working with him was an invaluable experience.
Later, I joined T-Series, where I had the opportunity to co-direct ‘Yaariyan’ and ‘Sanam Re’, besides working on several successful music videos. These experiences helped shape my filmmaking journey before I went on to direct Tum Mere Ho.
What do you think Odisha’s film industry needs to do to attract more young filmmakers and reach a wider national audience?
Odisha has no shortage of talent. A new generation of filmmakers is emerging with fresh ideas, creative ambitions and greater confidence in their storytelling abilities.
I believe these young filmmakers have tremendous potential. With their enthusiasm and evolving approach to cinema, I am hopeful that they will make a strong impact at the national level, just as filmmakers from other regional industries have done.
Have you ever faced rejection or a major setback in your filmmaking journey? How did you overcome it?
Rejection is an inevitable part of the film industry, and I have experienced my share of setbacks. There have been instances when ideas I developed were taken forward and made into films by others. At times, projects that were initially associated with me eventually went to other directors.
I believe one of my biggest challenges has been that I am not particularly good at marketing myself, unlike some others in the industry. This has affected certain opportunities and remains one of the major setbacks in my journey as a director.
Which scene or project has challenged you the most creatively?
Every film presents its own set of challenges, and filmmaking requires constant problem-solving at every stage. One particularly demanding experience was shooting the skydiving sequences for Tum Mere Ho. The locations involved considerable risks, and filming in those areas was restricted. We were given very limited time to complete the sequences.
Despite these constraints, we made every effort to capture the best possible shots and scenes within the time available. It was a challenging experience that required careful planning and quick execution.
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