Once a Goan, always a Goan. This adage certainly
holds true for Suvrata Nasnodkar. After leaving Goa nearly
a decade ago, Suvrata is coming home, that too, in a
rather grand way. Suvrata will be writing and directing her
first film, ‘Little Joe, Kaha Ho?’ that will be shot in Goa.
Daughter of Avinash Vithal Nasnodkar, an ex-legal
officer with the Education Department of Goa and now
a practising lawyer, and Sunita Nasnodkar, Joint Director
of the SCERT, Goa, Suvrata was born and brought up in
Porvorim. Until her Class X exams, Suvrata was undecided
about her future career. “At home, we were not fascinated
by movies; I only used to watch movies that were aired
on television. The breakthrough came after I completed
my board exams and my father took the family to watch
‘Mission Kashmir’, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. I came
home from the theatre with so many questions and for
the first time, I dwelt upon the term ‘director’. We were
given computers through the Cyberage scheme and I
Googled ‘director’ and ‘screenplay’ to find out what they
mean,” says Suvrata, who went on to learn more about
films through the works of Mira Nair and Rajkumar Hirani.
After completing her Class XI and XII in Arts stream
at Dhempe Higher Secondary School, Miramar, Suvrata
joined Whistling Woods International Institute, Mumbai
to study filmmaking; she was part of the Institute’s
first batch. “It was a completely different world. Every
day there was something new to learn and a quest for
creativity. The day I graduated was also the day I joined
director Prakash Jha as an assistant director. Working
with him gave me great exposure; he put his trust in me
by giving me responsibilities which helped me grow
in my profession,” says Suvrata, who has worked as an
assistant director with Jha for three films – ‘Aarakshan’,
‘Chakravyuh’ and ‘Satyagraha’.
While assisting, she also started writing and thought
it was time to come out with her own films under her
company, Backyard Movies. “I want to use the fabric of
cinema not just to make money but to add quality to life.
Being a director makes me happy as I have a buffet of
creativity. I’ve always been interested in children’s films as
a genre; children are the most innocent of creations and I
have had the most beautiful upbringing in Goa. It is those
memories that have driven me to make the film in Goa.
I’ve wanted to come home for the longest time,” she says.
Suvrata is currently based in Mumbai.
Since Priyanka Chopra is in the US for the television
series ‘Quantico’, Suvrata approached her mother,
Madhu, with the film. “‘Little Joe, Kaha Ho?’ was
shortlisted by Madhu Chopra and I met Priyanka last
December. She loves Goa and stressed that Goa should
not be stereotyped; she told me that being Goan, I
should be the lens to Goa and our culture. The stakes are
high and it will be a feature film. I would love to explore
more dimensions of Priyanka in the film. She is a creative
woman and she is giving women, especially women
technicians, the opportunity to bring out a different
cinema on a global level,” informs Suvrata.
‘Little Joe, Kaha Ho?’ is a story of friendship and a
tribute to the genre of cartoonists like R K Laxman and
Mario Miranda. “The story revolves around two kids who
become friends; it is conceived in the interiors of Goa.
It is about celebrating childhood and will even make
elders nostalgic about their childhood. It is my ode to my
Speaking about how it is to be a strong woman in the
Hindi film industry, the 29-year-old explains how things
are different. “I am proud to be a woman as avenues have
opened up for women and all you have to do is go out
there to prove yourself. Everybody in the industry ivery
welcoming and since I have been a part of the industry
for a while now, it is easier for me,” she adds.
To conclude, Suvrata says, “I am enjoying the trip
right now but the reality will set in once the film goes on
the floors. I have to do my homework well.”