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Behind The Screen: Sameer Patra From Odisha On Making It Large In Bollywood





Behind The Screen: Sameer Patra From Odisha On Making It Large In Bollywood

Falling in love with actors comes easy. Seeing them on screen, in the best of costumes, amidst dazzling sets or exuberant visuals, with the perfect music in the backdrop, singing the most romantic number on earth or dancing like a dream, who would not end up adoring these larger-than-life characters?

However, more than often, we forget that it takes hundreds of people to work together in sync to create these characters and breathe life into the screen. Technicians, as they are known, are the backbone of a film industry yet the spotlight is never on them.

We, at My City Links, salute the spirit of this hard-working community across all film industries while bringing our exclusive BEHIND THE SCREEN series, highlighting the inspiring real-life stories of a few Odia technicians who have made it large in Bollywood. It’s time these unsung heroes get the limelight.

SAMEER PATRA (Sound designer/Location recordist)

Despite being in the first batch of students to learn sound editing at Biju Patnaik Film and Television Institute, Cuttack in 1997, he had no plans to restrict himself to a studio unlike most of his batchmates. That precisely is the reason why Sameer Patra has established himself as a location recordist and sound designer of repute in Bollywood today.

Hailing from Bhanjanagar, Ganjam, Sameer was inclined towards location recording from the time he understood the basics of the subject. “That time in Odisha, album industry was at its peak and my friends were looking for work at the Kalinga Studio but I never wanted to restrict myself to studio work and so in 2000, I landed in Mumbai and then began a journey laced with struggles and difficulties.”

Sameer had a tough time initially, finding work and make ends meet. “I remember during those days, calling from mobile during daytime was very expensive. And, so I had to wait from 9 pm to 9 am to make calls and request people for work. Often, I was insulted since I had come from a state not known to many people out there for work. It was almost depressing. Thankfully, some of my seniors from Odisha helped me with food and logistics, and one of them got me introduced to the world of serials,” recalls Sameer.

In 2001, Sameer got some work for a serial in ETV Urdu but he got his first decent break for Jaspal Bhatti’s ‘Dhabba Junction’ in 2002. “Few years after Dhabba Junction, I was handling four to five serials at a time for all major channels including Sony and Star. I became a known name as a location recordist in serials. But for me the life-changing phase came when Manas Choudhary, also from Odisha, asked me to assist him for Chak De India in 2005. During those days, I was earning about Rs. 5000-Rs. 6000 per day from my serials and for the film, I would have managed only Rs. 1200 per day. But it didn’t take me much time to quit serials overnight and be a part of the enticing world of films,” says Sameer.

While Chak De was a lifetime experience for Sameer, he had many memorable incidents associated with the film and SRK. “I remember while shooting in Melbourne, Australia, every day, when Shah Rukh would come on sets, it was my job to fix his mike. So, after exchanging the pleasantries, I would do the needful which started my first fixing the transmitter near his ankle. So, there was this Indian couple who got hold of me one day and told me that while they felt envious that I get a chance to interact with SRK every day, they also felt bad for me since I had to fall on SRK’s feet every time he came!!! That was one hilarious moment for me,” recalls Sameer.

While Chak De for sure was the turning point for Sameer, soon after the film, he had to get back to the struggle life. “I had quit serials and so I had to ask for work for films since we are freelancers. So, it was like starting from scratch all over again in the city.”

Not once did Sameer give up and eventually offers started coming his way. From Sarkaar 3 to Raees, Dil Dhadakne Do to Fukrey, Sameer has nearly 40 films to his credit now. He has also worked with renowned Odia filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda in two of his films. “I have just wrapped up Veere Di Wedding, produced by Sonam Kapoor and Kareena’s comeback film while am working on Akshay Kumar’s Gold. So, I am enjoying my work. But the struggle is still there and it will remain but that’s the beauty of our work. You need to love the struggles too, only then should you dare to dream in Mumbai,” says the young man with a conviction and we cannot agree more!

Author: Dikhya tiwari

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