Patna: Disha Jha, producer of the recently released web series Sankalp, has spoken about her journey in the industry, her professional equation with her father, filmmaker Prakash Jha, and her enduring connection to Bihar.
The series, starring Nana Patekar, has been released on MX Player following a delay of nearly three years. Originally commissioned for the platform before its merger with Amazon, the project was held up due to corporate restructuring.
“The journey has been wonderful, but long,” Jha said, reflecting on the production process. “Corporate systems have their own pace, and that contributed to the delay, but it’s satisfying to finally see the series released.”
Jha, who had previously worked as a costume designer on Raajneeti, said her familiarity with Patekar dates back to her childhood. Despite his stern public image, she described him as “childlike at heart”, recalling his fondness for humour and cooking for colleagues on set.
Her professional relationship with her father, she added, remains distinctly formal during work. “On set, I address him as ‘Sir’,” she said, noting that personal dynamics are kept separate from professional responsibilities. Jha revealed that while her father was initially attached to Sankalp as showrunner, he later took on directorial duties as the project evolved.
Raised partly in Bihar, Jha said her connection to the state is both personal and cultural. She visits regularly and retains strong memories of travelling through Nalanda and Gaya during her childhood. She also spoke fondly of traditional foods such as sattu paratha, khichdi and thekua, as well as locally made sweets.
Despite coming from a family rooted in cinema—her mother, Deepti Naval, is an actor—Jha said she was drawn to production rather than direction or acting. “Working on my father’s sets made me realise where my interest lies,” she said. “Both my parents have supported that choice.”
Looking ahead, she confirmed that work is under way on the script for Raajneeti 2, while another instalment of the popular series Aashram is also in development, alongside other projects.
As a producer, Jha said she hopes to collaborate widely across the industry, though she singled out Varun Dhawan as a personal favourite she would like to work with in the future.
Reflecting on her father’s body of work, she named Parinati—his 1989 film starring Nandita Das—as her personal favourite, citing its Rajasthan setting as a departure from his more familiar socio-political narratives rooted in north India.
