Against the Grain: My Journey from Bihar's Heartland to Filmmaking Fame

When I first told my parents about my aspirations in the film industry, they were disheartened. I was good at my studies. So, naturally, they expected me to pursue engineering. Coming from a middle-class family in a small village, Asta, in Nalanda, Bihar, it was unexpected to look beyond the conventional career of medical or engineering. But I’m glad to follow an unconventional career.

I first came across the ‘Theatre’ when I visited Kalidas Rangalaya in Patna with a friend. It fascinated me so much that I enrolled in a two-year diploma course in Theatre at Bihar Institute of Dramatics. After the diploma, I moved towards performing Theatre. Through our theatre group, Akshara Arts, we did everything, including directing, acting, selling tickets, etc. It went on till 2007. Although I enjoyed every aspect of theatre, I felt I should focus on ‘direction’.

However, to be a good director, one must know editing. So, after coming to Mumbai, I took a diploma course in Editing. The course helped me work on some amazing films like Singh Is King, Rock On, Ghajini, and Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. After gaining sufficient experience as an editor, I decided to switch towards writing & direction. I wrote & edited a critically acclaimed film ‘Ribbon’ starring Kalki Koechlin & Sumeet Vyas.

And then came ‘Ek Kadam’. The short film is about a housewife who has not stepped out of her house for many years without her husband. But, after the sudden accident of her husband, she has to go out to do the work. The outside world initially felt scary. However, as she didn’t have any options but to go out, she ended up re-discovering her lost self.

In a way, ‘Ek Kadam’ is the story of every housewife who is so lost in managing her family that she never thinks about her dreams and aspirations. You know, until now, our film has been selected at various film festivals and won numerous awards. The most common and wholesome feedback is, ‘Areyy ye toh meri Maa ki kahani hai’. I couldn’t have asked for more!

Now, the film is live on Humara Movie’s YouTube channel. Do watch the film and share your thoughts. Shayad aapko bhi aapki Maa ki kahaani dikh jaye!

We’re glad to partner with Humara Movie. They release a short film every week. And we feature the story of someone behind the film. After all, everyone has a story.

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