Fiji is a beautiful country which can be a good location for film making says Award winning Bollywood producer-director-screenwriter, Prakash Jha.
Those were the parting words of Mr Jha, who left the country last week after a successful Film Festival organized by the Fiji National University.
Mr Jha said the short visit enabled him to understand the country and look at ways to assist the film industry here.
“Fiji is a beautiful country and there are people who are interested in film production. There are courses and universities and you have the board, Fiji Audio Visual Commission, which promotes art and culture.”
He is of the view that government’s support will be necessary to make good films in the country.
“ I believe there are just about eight or ten cinemas here. How much can you really make? But there could be stories which could be told to the rest of the world and initially, a lot of support has to come from the government to make quality kinds of movies,” Mr Jha said.
He has assured interested local movie producers that he will always offer his assistance.
“Right now there should be a lot of encouragement coming and people should form groups. They should work on scripts and casting and as I said earlier, I’d be very happy to assist. Assist the director or the cameras or the editor. I’d be very happy to do that.”
Mr Jha was also impressed with the initiatives been taken to promote film production in Fiji.
Having produced many successful films such as Rajneeti, Apharan, Gangajal, Damul and Mrityudand, Mr. Jha says the essence of a good film is a good story.
“There has to be people who should be interested in film making and the most important thing is not the location or the culture but it’s the story. So you have to work on a good story. Nothing is impossible,” he added.
Mr Jha also said that if ever he has an opportunity to use the location here, he will do so.
He is ready to help Fiji through technical assistance, help in the understanding of the language, provide training or assist in film making.
He also highlighted that there should be a passion and dedication for film production as a film can be made anywhere.