jhaji

Son of a soldier, Sanjay Jha was born in Sultanganj in Bhagalpur district, Bihar. Childhood days were spent in an earthy rural life. Right from the beginning, he was deeply inspired by the rich folk culture of Buddha’s own land, Bihar. Grew up with real images of Melas, Ramleelas, Bahuripiyas, incredible rituals, strong religious milieu and the vibrant Mithila Art. Natural calamities like flood and drought gifted unforgettable images. Changing seasons of rural life on the bank of river Ganga matured into a sense of poetry and language. Wonder years passed chasing steam trains that passed through the fields of his native village. Listening to radio programs made for defense personals was the only window to the outside world. With such a treasure of inspirational experiences a story teller evolved. Later Sanjay traveled extensively, lived in military camps and learned from various cultures by the virtue of his father’s profession. Sanjay graduated in Science from Patna. Here, he got involved in theatre activities, street plays and folk theatre. He participated in ‘APNA UTSAV’ mega cultural national jamboree initiated by the late Prime Minister Mr. Rajiv Gandhi. In the year 1990, under the young playwrights’ scheme of Sangeet Natak Academy ,wrote ‘RAJA SALHES’ a play in Hindi. He joined the National school of Drama in 1991-1994, where he mastered the art of Performing Arts and specialized as a Stage director and designer.He arrived in Bombay, now Mumbai in the year 1994 and joined Plus Channel as an Assistant Director of ‘ZAMEEN AASMAAN’, a tele-series produced by Plus Channel and directed by Mahesh Bhatt/ Tanuja Chandra. After gaining experience in television, Sanjay was ready to explore the world of cinema. In the year 1995-1996 he joined Sanjay Leela Bhansali as an Assistant director on the film, ’KHAMOSHI’. In 1996-1999, he contributed as a chief assistant director on ‘KACHCHE DHAAGE’, a Tips Films production directed by Milan Luthria. In 1999-2000, he assisted Vidhu Vinod Chopra on ‘MISSION KASHMIR’. In the year 2002, he directed his debut film ‘PRAAN JAYE PAR SHAAN NA JAYE’ written and produced by Mahesh V Manjrekar, starring Sushmita Sen, Raveena Tandon, Namrata Shirodkar, Diya Mirza, Rinki Khanna, Shweta Menon, Divya Dutta, Aman Verma, Vijayraaz and Mahesh Manjrekar. In 2004, he made his second film(cross-over), "Strings" starring Adam Bedi, Tanishta Chatterjee, Sandhya Mridul and Vinit Kumar. It is a feature film in English/Hindi to be sub-titled in English, 90 minutes drama in 35 mm format on kodak color film with screen ratio 1:1.85. The film was selected in the competition section, Asian Films, as World Premiere Screening at the 7th OSEAN-CINEFAN FILM FESTIVAL in Delhi.Sanjay Jha works with children of all ages including those with special needs designing, coordinating and conducting Eco-Theatre Art workshops.Sanjay actively works with UNICEF, on its innovative communication project on HIV/AIDS as a project co-ordinator in MUMBAI. Project involves a range of activities which includes documentation and film making workshops with children. Sanjay has emerged as a young and dynamic film writer and director and is currently completing a diploma in human rights from the Mumbai University.