Hazaribagh-born filmmaker on Jamshedpur roots, Chauranga and his new film Bayan

Key Points:

Filmmaker Bikas Ranjan Mishra credits his Hazaribagh and Jamshedpur roots for shaping his cinema

His debut film Chauranga won Best Indian Film at MAMI after a six-year journey

New film Bayan, starring Huma Qureshi, explores the “privilege of speaking up”

“What You Consider Your Weakness Is Your Greatest Strength”

JAMSHEDPUR: From the quiet village lanes near Hazaribagh to the prestigious red carpets of Toronto and Cannes, filmmaker Bikas Ranjan Mishra’s journey is a powerful testament to the value of rooted storytelling.

In an extensive conversation with Town Post, Mishra detailed his evolution from a teenage journalist to a globally recognized director, offering a masterclass on the intersection of personal identity, economic reality, and the art of cinema.

The “Z-Town” Perspective: Turning Roots into Capital

Mishra’s journey began in a small village in Jharkhand, later moving to Hazaribagh where he started writing for the Hazaribagh Times as a teenager.

While many aspiring artists from small towns suffer from a “complex” about their background, Mishra eventually realized that his unique perspective on rural society was his greatest capital.

He humorously critiques the industry’s categorization of cities as “A-Towns” or “B-Towns” (like Bhopal or Jaipur), noting that his hometown of Hazaribagh is effectively a “Z-Town”—a place outside the conventional alphabet of the big city.

This “Z-Town” upbringing, he argues, provided him with a wealth of experiences and social insights that city-bred filmmakers simply do not possess.

The Jamshedpur Education: From Celluloid to Surrealism

Mishra credits the city of Jamshedpur for shaping his professional and individual identity.

It was here, through the Celluloid Chapter film society led by Amitabh Ghosh, that he was introduced to world cinema.

He recalls watching Luis Buñuel’s surrealist masterpiece The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, a film that “spun his head” and kept him awake all night, despite its defiance of conventional logic.

Under the mentorship of figures like Vidhyarthi Chatterjee and Anil sir, who introduced him to the music of Bob Dylan, Mishra’s understanding of cinema deepened far beyond what he learned in a classroom.

Interestingly, he even participated in a script-writing workshop led by a then-unknown Imtiaz Ali, which he believes continues to influence his thematic interests today.

The Struggle of Independent Media: Dear Cinema

Before his feature debut, Mishra established Dear Cinema, an influential independent media platform.

He started the site while working as a television correspondent in Mumbai to maintain a connection to the global film world.

However, Mishra eventually had to close the platform due to the “economic logic” of survival and his refusal to compromise his journalistic principles by writing paid reviews.

“I have to stay afloat in this city to be able to do anything,” he noted of the difficult transition into full-time filmmaking.

Redefining Cinema: Beyond the “Parallel” Label

Mishra offers a pragmatic, unsentimental view of the film industry.

He argues that the traditional divide between “parallel” and “commercial” cinema is largely a relic of a bygone government-controlled economy where the state held a monopoly on film stock.

For Mishra, cinema is a commercial art.

He believes a director has a responsibility to their producer to ensure a film is accessible and engaging enough for audiences to buy a ticket.

His personal goal is to emulate filmmakers like Asghar Farhadi, creating films that function as gripping thrillers while remaining with the viewer long after they leave the theater.

A Decade of Storytelling: Chauranga and Bayan

His first feature, Chauranga, took nearly six years to complete and won Best Indian Film at MAMI.

The film explored caste power dynamics in a Jharkhand village, a theme Mishra believes remains deeply relevant as more people from marginalized communities begin to own their narratives.

Despite its international success, Mishra faced the irony of distribution: the film was released in Kochi and Hyderabad but struggled to find screens in Jharkhand and Bihar.

His latest project, Bayan, starring Huma Qureshi, follows a privileged investigator sent to a small town in Rajasthan to look into abuse allegations against a powerful cult leader.

The film explores the “privilege of speaking up,” asking whether ordinary people can afford to voice the truth when their survival depends on institutional silence.

Advice to Local Creators: “Be Your Own Film School”

Mishra is optimistic about the future for filmmakers in places like Jamshedpur and Hazaribagh.

His advice for the next generation is focused on self-reliance and technology:

• Embrace Technology: With 4K cameras on phones and free software like DaVinci Resolve, the barrier to entry has vanished.
• Focus on Writing: Quoting Akira Kurosawa, he emphasizes that building a film on paper through a script is the most inexpensive way to learn the craft.
• Tell Local Stories: He encourages creators to work in local languages like Khortha, Bhojpuri, or Nagpuri to build a dedicated community.

“You don’t need to come to Mumbai,” Mishra concludes. “If you make a good film, Mumbai will come to you“.

The interview can be watched here: Click