Jay Pinak Oza | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jay Pinak Oza Vadodara, Gujrat, India |
| Education | Maharaja Sayajirao University (Bachelor of Fine Arts) Prague Film School (Cinematography) |
| Occupation | Cinematographer |
| Years active | 2006-present |
| Organization | Pink Window Productions |
| Awards | Filmfare Award Zee Cine Award Asia Pacific Screen Award |
Jay Pinak Oza is an Indian cinematographer known for his work in Hindi films and web series. He has worked on notable projects such as Raman Raghav 2.0 , Blackmail, Gully Boy , Made in Heaven , Ghoul and Toofaan . He was selected as one of the ten participants for the BAFTA Breakthrough India talent initiative in 2021. [1] [2]
Oza was born and raised in Vadodara, Gujarat, India. He pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, majoring in art history and aesthetics. [2] [3] During his college years, he interned as a set production assistant (PA), which sparked his interest in filmmaking. [2] [3]
Initially working on set as a PA and assistant director on films such as Rang De Basanti and Jodhaa Akbar , Oza developed an interest in cinematography. To gain formal training, he attended the Prague Film School, where he studied the technical aspects of cinematography. [2] [3]
After returning to India, Oza assisted cinematographers Ayananka Bose and Sudeep Chatterjee on several projects. [2] His first independent cinematography work was on the music documentary series The Dewarists (Season 1 and 2). He also worked on the Indian adaptation of the TV series 24 . [3]
Oza made his feature film debut with Anurag Kashyap's Raman Raghav 2.0 in 2016. [3] He subsequently worked on Ghoul , Blackmail , and the web series Made in Heaven (Season 1). [2] [3]
Oza gained widespread recognition for his work on Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy (2019), which he described as his breakthrough project. [4] In the film, Oza’s cinematography captured the narrow streets of Mumbai and the contrasting high life of Delhi, blending realism with visual storytelling. [3] [5]
He has also worked on Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra's Toofaan (2021), Aryan Khan’s streaming series The Bas***ds of Bollywood (2025), and upcoming film Jee Le Zaraa which will be directed by Farhan Akhtar. [6]
Oza’s work has been noted for its focus on realism and emotional sensitivity in his visual storytelling. He emphasizes the importance of capturing the environment authentically, as seen in Gully Boy , where mixed lighting conditions in Dharavi were maintained without over grading, creating an immersive experience. [3] [5] He cites cinematographers Roger Deakins and Christopher Doyle as key influences and often adapts his style to suit the narrative and characters of each project. [3]
He has discussed the collaborative nature of filmmaking, highlighting the balance between technical execution and managing production dynamics on set. [3] [6]
In 2021, Oza was selected for the BAFTA Breakthrough India talent initiative, a year-long mentoring program aimed at supporting the next generation of Indian film, television, and games talent. He was recognized for his work on Gully Boy and was among a cohort chosen by a jury of industry experts including Anupam Kher, Mira Nair, and Monika Shergill. [1] [4] [7]
| Year | Title | Director | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Rang De Basanti | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | Set Production Assistant | [4] |
| I see You | Vivek Agrawal | Assistant Director | ||
| 2007 | Loins of Punjab Presents | Manish Acharya | Assistant Director | [8] |
| 2008 | Jodhaa Akbar | Ashutosh Gowariker | Set Production Assistant | [3] |
| 2016 | Raman Raghav 2.0 | Anurag Kashyap | Cinematographer | [9] |
| 2018 | Blackmail | Abhinay Deo | Cinematographer | [10] |
| 2019 | Gully Boy | Zoya Akhtar | Cinematographer | [11] |
| 2020 | Unpaused | Nikkhil Advani, Avinash Arun, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Krishna D.K., Nitya Mehra, Raj Nidimoru | Cinematographer | [12] [13] |
| 2021 | Toofaan | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | Cinematographer | [14] |
| 2023 | Haddi | Akshat Ajay Sharma | Cinematographer | [15] |
| 2024 | Yudhra | Ravi Udyawar | Cinematographer | [16] |
| 2026 | Jee Le Zaraa | Farhan Akhtar | Cinematographer | [17] |
| Year | Title | Director | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-2012 | The Dewarists | Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy, Ayesha Sood | Cinematographer | [18] |
| 2012 | Bring on the Night | Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy | Cinematographer | [18] |
| 2013 | 24 | Rensil D'Silva, Abhinay Deo, Nitya Mehra | Cinematographer | [18] |
| 2014 | Tandanu | Spandan Banerjee | Cinematographer | |
| 2016 | Love Shots | Manoj Sharma, Ankur Tiwari | Cinematographer "Episode 2 named Textbook" | [19] |
| 2018 | Ghoul | Patrick Graham | Cinematographer | [20] |
| 2019 | Voice of the Streets | Arjun Varain Singh, Siddhant Goswami, Zoya Akhtar | Cinematographer | |
| 2019 | Made in Heaven | Nitya Mehra, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Prashant Nair, Alankrita Shrivastava, Neeraj Ghaywan | Cinematographer | [21] |
| 2019 | Flip | Bejoy Nambiar, Aman Sachdeva | Cinematographer | [22] |
| 2022 | Vir Das: Landing | Vir Das | Cinematographer | [23] |
| 2025 | The Ba***ds of Bollywood | Aryan Khan | Cinematographer | [24] |
| Year | Title | Director | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Chutney | Jyoti Kapur Das | Cinematographer | [25] |
| 2018 | August 25 | Gautam Parvi | Cinematographer | [26] |
| Year | Award | Category | Outcome | Work | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Asia Pacific Screen Awards | Achievement in Cinematography | Nominated | Raman Raghav 2.0 | [27] |
| 2019 | FOI Online Award | Best Cinematography | Won | Gully Boy | [28] |
| 2020 | Filmfare Award | Best Cinematography | Won | Gully Boy | [29] [30] |
| 2020 | Zee Cine Award | Best Cinematography | Won | Gully Boy | [31] |