SearchingSirocco

It was February 2011 .. I had just come back from Ladakh from the shoot of my first film as assistant director. It was great experience and again I wasn’t given much money for it. Merely 13000 were given and I didn’t mind because I got the chance to visit Ladakh and become chief Assistant Director.  I was clueless what to do next. I was looking for some work. Saini, the art director from Soundtrack who gave me my first work as art director and second work overall in Mumbai, was not going to take me back I assumed as I had left the movie in between but he did call me for a day on the sets of soundtrack when I called him back for work, but the experience of one day was so terrible that then I myself never went back. I hated being in the team of art directors. Assistant art directors (male) are like dogs and anyone can scold them on set and say anything and for the sake of job they have to tolerate it. They are advised to listen to everyone without uttering anything. I will tell...

It was April or May 2014 It was certainly one of those times when I didn’t know what to do. I had no clear future plans I could envision. I was failing again and again in the battle grounds of life and I had no idea why. Why was this thing happening to me I wanted to know but the question was how to know and whom to ask? I called few of my friend, relatives, cousin brothers and elders and discussed my situation. Do you think anyone cares and gave actual solution? No, no one cares. No one has any solutions. Everyone had the same reaction- ‘It happens.’ ‘Don’t worry everything will be all right.’ ‘You are talented, it is just a matter of time.’ ‘Don’t worry, it happens with everybody.’ None of the advices were working. I have been through all these advices. They would have worked in other times but it was a severe blow this time. My second film was down the drain. Four years in Mumbai now with two feature films and a book behind me, I was still struggling to make...