Prakash Jha | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Jha in 2016 | |
| Born | (1952-02-27)27 February 1952 (age 73) |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Disha Jha (daughter) |
| Father | Tej Nath Jha |
| Website | prakashjhaproductions |
Prakash Jha (born 27 February 1952) is an Indian film producer, actor, director and screenwriter, mostly known for his political and socio-political films such asHip Hip Hurray (1984),Damul (1984),Mrityudand (1997),Gangaajal (2003),Apaharan (2005), and his multi-starrer films,Raajneeti (2010),Aarakshan (2011),Chakravyuh (2012), andSatyagraha (2013). He is also the maker ofNational Film Award winning documentaries likeFaces After The Storm (1984) andSonal (2002).
He runs a production company, Prakash Jha Productions.[1] He also owns theP&M Mall inPatna and theP&M Hi-Tech City Centre Mall inJamshedpur.[2]
Prakash Jha was raised at his family's farm in Barharwa,Bettiah, West Champaran, Bihar, India. His father's name was Shri Tej Nath Jha and Mother's name was Smt. Vijaya Jha. He did his schooling fromSainik School Tilaya,[3]Koderma district andKendriya Vidyalaya No. 1,Bokaro Steel City,Jharkhand. Later, he joinedRamjas College,Delhi University to do BSc (Hons) in Physics, though he left his studies after one year,[4] and decided to go to Bombay (present-day Mumbai) and become a painter. While he was preparing for J.J. School of Arts, he happened to witness the shooting of the filmDharma and got hooked on filmmaking. He graduated fromKC College,Mumbai[5][6]
He joined theFilm and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune in 1973, to do a course in editing. Midway through it, the institution was closed for while due to student agitation, so he came to Bombay, started working, and never went back to complete the course.[7]
Prakash was married to actressDeepti Naval with whom he has an adopted daughter Disha Jha.[8][9] Prakash also has a brother Prabhat Jha who is based in Bihar and a sister Sangita Jha. He has a nephew Manish K Jha who is marketing Director of P&M Mall.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(October 2019) |
While still midway through his course, he started working on films independently in 1974.[10] He made his first documentary,Under the Blue, in 1975, and continued to do so for the next eight years.[4]
During this period he made some highly politically charged documentaries, like that on the Bihar Sharif riot, titled,Faces After Storm (1984). It received considerable attention, as it was banned within 4–5 days of its release,[7] though later it won theNational Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film for the year.
He made his debut as a feature film director withHip Hip Hurray in 1984, scripted byGulzar and starring Raj Kiran and Deepti Naval as leads.[11] Next came the film he received most recognition for,Damul (1984), which won theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film and theFilmfare Critics Award for Best Movie in 1985. The film was based on thebonded labour issue inBihar.
In 1986, he directedParinati, based on the story byVijaydan Detha.[12]
Over the years he has made over 25 documentaries, 13 feature films, two television features and three television series, including the popular TV serialMungerilal Ke Hasin Sapne. His production company has produced five films with independent directors.[13][14]
In 2004, Jha directed the 112-minute filmLoknayak, based on the life ofBharat RatnaJayaprakash Narayan. In the film,Chetan Pandit played the role of Narayan andTisca Chopra playedPrabhavati Devi, the wife of JP.[15][16][17][18][19]
In 2010, Jha directedRaajneeti, a contemporary take on the epicMahabharata. It starredAjay Devgan,Manoj Bajpai,Naseeruddin Shah,Katrina Kaif,Arjun Rampal,Nana Patekar andRanbir Kapoor, and was a critical and commercial success. His next venture wasAarakshan, which starredAmitabh Bachchan,Saif Ali KhanDeepika Padukone andPrateik Babbar.[20] In 2012, Jha's releaseChakravyuh starred Arjun Rampal,Abhay Deol, Manoj Bajpai,Kabir Bedi andEsha Gupta, and was released in Dussehra 2012.[21][22][23][24] His next filmSatyagraha (2013) starredAmitabh Bachchan andAjay Devgn.[25][26]
In 2019, he acted in the filmSaand Ki Aankh abiographical film directed byTushar Hiranandani. He played Rattan Singh Tomar, the patriarch of the Tomar family.[27]
Prakash Jha contested and lost the14th Lok Sabha election from his native placeBettiah in 2004. He stood 6th and managed to get around 26,000 votes only, while the winnerRaghunath Jha got 2,11,590 votes.[28] He also lost the15th Lok Sabha election toSanjay Jaiswal in 2009 asLok Janshakti Party (LJP) candidate fromPaschim Champaran.[29][30][31] In the same electionSadhu Yadav stood 3rd asINC candidate.
Jha once again contested in the16th Lok Sabha election in 2014 as aJanata Dal (United) candidate from Paschim Champaran and lost toSanjay Jaiswal. In 2014 election affidavit he had mentioned that he has assets worth₹92.5crores and liabilities worth₹55.2 crores.[32]
Prakash Jha is the chairman of Anubhooti,[33] a registered society that has been working for cultural development, improvement of health care, disaster management and the upliftment of farmers and socio-economically backward people in Bihar since 1991.
Most recently, the organization has been working for flood survivors. After the Kosi flood on 18 August 2008, Anubhooti has provided complete relief to 6000 people since September 2008. Anubhooti has created a model village, Hindolwa village, for those the flood affected, and is working towards their complete rehabilitation. Anubhooti has provided relief to 5000 people for health care inSupaul district in Bihar.
Pravasi Setu Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded by Prakash Jha under Section 8. The Organisation has its headquarters inWest Delhi,New Delhi and was founded in the year 2023. The foundation runs programs like scholarships, research grants, cultural exchanges, and advocacy campaigns targeting migrant empowerment and inclusion.
The organisation is dedicated to address the migration issues, particularly around Indian Migrants and all over the world. It aims to bridge the gap between the Indian Migrants and the policy makers to foster inclusive policies for Indian Migrants.[34]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Shree Vats (documentary) | Director | Film on the Pune-based instituteShreevatsa |
| 1983 | Faces After The Storm (documentary) | Director | National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Best Documentary of the year International Film Festival of India, Special Jury Award |
| 1984 | Hip Hip Hurray | Director | All India Film Awards Association, Best Director |
| 1985 | Damul | Director, producer, co-script writer | National Film Award for Best Feature Film Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie |
| 1986 | Kudiattam (documentary) | Director | National Film Award for Best Arts/Cultural Film |
| 1988 | Looking Back (documentary) | Director | National Film Award for Best Industrial Documentary |
| 1989 | Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne | Director | Television serial |
| 1989 | Parinati | Director, producer | National Film Award for Best Costume Design Presented as an Outstanding Film at the London Film Festival at the London Film Festival |
| 1996 | Bandish | Director, producer | |
| 1997 | Mrityudand ("Death Sentence") | Director, producer, editor, dialogue writer | Screen Cinema Award, Best Actor in a Negative Role Screen Cinema Award, Best Dialogue Screen Cinema Award, Best Screenplay Zee Cine Award, Best Dialogue Zee Cine Award, Best Director Sansui Film Awards, Best Film (Critics Choice) Sansui Film Awards, Best Actress Special Jury Award, Cinema Tout Ecran, Geneva for Best Feature Audience Award, Best Feature, Bangkok Film Festival |
| 1999 | Dil Kya Kare | Director, editor, story writer | |
| 2001 | Rahul | Director | |
| 2002 | Sonal (Documentary) | Director | National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film |
| 2003 | Gangaajal | Director, producer, editor, story writer, dialogue writer | National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues |
| 2004 | Loknayak | Director, producer, editor, story writer, dialogue writer | Based on the life ofBharat RatnaJayaprakash Narayan |
| 2005 | Apaharan | Director, producer, story writer | National Film Award for Best Screenplay Filmfare Best Dialogue Award Star Screen Best Screenplay Award |
| 2007 | Dil Dosti Etc | Producer | |
| Khoya Khoya Chand | Producer | ||
| 2010 | Raajneeti | Director, producer, dialogue writer | Star Screen Best Screenplay Award |
| 2011 | Turning 30 | Producer | |
| Yeh Saali Zindagi | Producer | ||
| Aarakshan | Director, producer | ||
| 2012 | Chakravyuh | Director, producer | |
| 2013 | Satyagraha | Director, producer | |
| 2015 | Crazy Cukkad Family | producer | |
| 2016 | Jai Gangaajal | director, actor, producer | |
| 2017 | Lipstick Under My Burkha | producer | |
| 2018 | Saare Jahan Se Acha (series) | Anchor | Web Series[35] Directed by Prakash Bhardwaj (Director)[36] |
| 2019 | Fraud Saiyaan | producer | |
| Pareeksha – The Final Test | Director, producer | Released onZEE5 | |
| Saand Ki Aankh | Rattan Singh Tomar | Actor[27] | |
| 2020 | Aashram | Director, producer | Web series onMX Player |
| Matto Ki Saikil | Matto | Actor[37] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Rafuchakkar | Pawan Kumar Bawariya's father |
| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Best Series – Drama | Aashram | Nominated | [42] |
| Best Director – Drama, Series | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Best Landmark OTT Show | Aashram | Won | [43] |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
