Although identity of Orissa is like a poor state in the national arena for a few cases like sale of the child etc. in the KBK districts, that is not the whole story. Come filmdom, the current film fraternity knows it well that no Bollywood film can be made at this time without the involvement of Oriya guys/girls. May it be acting, singing, direction or technology, contribution of Oriya people is most essential in contemporary Hindi Film Industry. Aum Prakash Mohapatra, youngest brother of awarded film director Sabyasachi Mohapatra is the first person to operate a professional jimmy jib crane in Bollywood. Hence, some people also call him the father of jimmy jib in India. Himanshu Guru chatted with him to register his journey in filmdom.
Aum initiates his journey as an assistant cinematographer through Halo in 1996 followed by Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se in 1998. In the mean while Bollywood gets introduced with latest camera equipment ‘Jimmy Jib’. About his early days Aum intimated, “While shooting a commercial for Centro car, Shah Rukh comes to know about the equipment from the Chinese crews and wants to purchase one. But problem was who would operate the crane. The star approached legendary cinematographer Santosh Shivan, who suggested my name. Accordingly I was sent to USA for short term training on Jib. When returned from there I started working in Hindi films as a jimmy jib operator.”
In a short while Aum became the most talked about name in the film units as all the big banner producers as well as the top celebrities depended on this young guy to operate the jib to take the amazing shots. And in this way he became the star technician. Today we have a number of Jimmy Jib operators, but still Aum enjoys the credit of being the top operator.
A jib is basically a crane with the camera attached on one end and a counterweight and the camera controls on the other. This crane permits the camera to be moved vertically, horizontally, or a combination of the two. A jib is often mounted on a huge tripod or similar support. Since the camera operator is often not able to use the camera's controls directly or look through the camera's viewfinder, a jib is often used in conjunction with a remote camera control for focus and zoom and with a portable video monitor. Some advance versions of the Jib is the mostly used equipment in Bollywood films these days.
Aum has many Bollywood blockbusters to his credit like Mohabattein, My Name Is Khan, The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey, Veer-Zaara, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Ashoka, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Khakee, Paanch, Chandni Chowk to China, Bluffmaster!, Tare Zamin Par etc. as Jimmy Jib operator. He is also the DOP of Oriya films like Jai Jagannath, Salabudha.
Aum said, “I feel myself lucky enough for what I am now in Bollywood. I’ve worked with all the top-notch actors starting from Amitabh Bachan to Shah Rukh Khan. I have also travelled a number of countries and now enjoying stardom as a celebrity technician in Bollywood. But my heart always remains in my birth soil and I am proud to announce that I am an Oriya. I love ‘pakhal’ (Watered rice) and think that whatever I have achieved is due to blessings of God and the good wishes of Orissa”.
Aum initiates his journey as an assistant cinematographer through Halo in 1996 followed by Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se in 1998. In the mean while Bollywood gets introduced with latest camera equipment ‘Jimmy Jib’. About his early days Aum intimated, “While shooting a commercial for Centro car, Shah Rukh comes to know about the equipment from the Chinese crews and wants to purchase one. But problem was who would operate the crane. The star approached legendary cinematographer Santosh Shivan, who suggested my name. Accordingly I was sent to USA for short term training on Jib. When returned from there I started working in Hindi films as a jimmy jib operator.”
In a short while Aum became the most talked about name in the film units as all the big banner producers as well as the top celebrities depended on this young guy to operate the jib to take the amazing shots. And in this way he became the star technician. Today we have a number of Jimmy Jib operators, but still Aum enjoys the credit of being the top operator.
A jib is basically a crane with the camera attached on one end and a counterweight and the camera controls on the other. This crane permits the camera to be moved vertically, horizontally, or a combination of the two. A jib is often mounted on a huge tripod or similar support. Since the camera operator is often not able to use the camera's controls directly or look through the camera's viewfinder, a jib is often used in conjunction with a remote camera control for focus and zoom and with a portable video monitor. Some advance versions of the Jib is the mostly used equipment in Bollywood films these days.
Aum has many Bollywood blockbusters to his credit like Mohabattein, My Name Is Khan, The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey, Veer-Zaara, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Ashoka, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Khakee, Paanch, Chandni Chowk to China, Bluffmaster!, Tare Zamin Par etc. as Jimmy Jib operator. He is also the DOP of Oriya films like Jai Jagannath, Salabudha.
Aum said, “I feel myself lucky enough for what I am now in Bollywood. I’ve worked with all the top-notch actors starting from Amitabh Bachan to Shah Rukh Khan. I have also travelled a number of countries and now enjoying stardom as a celebrity technician in Bollywood. But my heart always remains in my birth soil and I am proud to announce that I am an Oriya. I love ‘pakhal’ (Watered rice) and think that whatever I have achieved is due to blessings of God and the good wishes of Orissa”.
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