My film is about a personal story of a couple coping with the loss of their daughter.

Hi there! Shishir Jha here. I’m from Dharbhanga, Bihar. Mujhe bachpan se hi ‘Painting’ ka bohot sauk tha. Painting has been like an inbuilt creative gift to me. So, in the early stage of my career, I was clear that I would do something related to Art & Craft.

But venturing into the creative field was a challenging task for me. You know, the state I come from, opting for art as a career is an alien concept. Tab to apne Bihar me log Medical ya fir Engineering karte the. So, I had no one around me to guide me in pursuing the unconventional career, and moving forward was a tough journey.

But, I had the unconditional support from my father. He has influenced me a lot. Since childhood, he has given me complete freedom. He never pressured me by creating any benchmark or pushed me to do anything against my will. So, his immense support helped to explore and take some critical risks in my career.

After tenth, I moved to Delhi for Engineering. But, I was never interested in the course. After one year, I learned about the National Institute of Design and enrolled in the same. And that’s how I started my creative journey. With time, I realised that I liked film making. After making several short films, I’ve released my first featured film titled ‘Tortoise Under The Earth’ based in Jharkhand. It’s about a personal story of a couple coping with the loss of their daughter.

Moreover, the film also focuses on the culture and tradition of Satthali and is shot in the Santhali language. The inspiration came when I learned about the community. Their folk story really captivated me. The relationship between humans and nature is surreal in the community. You know, they worship rivers, mountains and forests. Overall, their fantastic culture pushed me to make a movie about the community.

The docu-fiction has been one hell of a project for me. It took me three years to complete the film, followed by one year of shooting. But it was worth it. Fortunately, the film has gone to the festival now. And it will soon be available in the public domain. Do watch it!

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