Jay Oza shares his joy at being shortlisted for a mentorship programme by BAFTA
Cinematographer Jay Pinak Oza has had a fascinating journey so far, from being a production assistant to Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra in Rang De Basanti, to director of photography (DOP) in Rakesh’s upcoming film Toofan. He looks back at Gully Boy as the film that changed his career, on the occasion of being among the 10 selected participants for the talent initiative BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Breakthrough India.
BAFTA Breakthrough India showcases and supports the next generation of creative talent working in Indian film, games and television by providing a year-long mentoring and guidance programme.
“Coming from a middle-class family with no background in films, I started my career in the industry from zero, just after college. In 2005, I was one of the production assistants on the set of Rang De Basanti. I would watch Rakesh sir and in my head, I was like, ‘one day Jay, one fine day you will be the DOP of one of his films’. It is 2021 now, yes, almost 15 years after I made that promise to myself but Toofan is coming. I made it! It took time but I achieved my dream,†expressed a jubilant Jay.
When quizzed about how the year-long BAFTA programme will help him to take his career to the next level, he says at this stage of his career getting a chance to be guided by international experts through BAFTA will be a win-win not only for him but everyone who takes part in the programme.
A major reason he was picked for the BAFTA programme was for his work in Gully Boy. Jay feels the Zoya Akhtar directorial added weight to his profile.
“To be honest, how I bagged Gully Boy is a story in itself and I think that is my breakthrough film. I think the BAFTA Breakthrough India jury members also considered me because of my work in that film. That will remain a special film for me because of Zoya, who is a fantastic captain of the ship. She knows how to bring the right people on board to create the world that we did with a story like Gully Boy. You know, she would say that with each frame, I want our audience not only to get a visual feel of the place, of the slum where we shot a major part of the film but also people should be able to smell the place — the struggle and suffocation through my visuals. Zoya is accurate with what she wants!†he said.
Jay concluded with a message for budding cinematographers, “Dreams do come true, look at me. When we go through struggle and hardship, we must not forget why we started our journey and if we are focused on our work, even though it takes time, it happens. I never gave up, why would you?â€
