Six years in a penitentiary for a crime he did not commit did not wear out Amarnath Jha (37) of Jhanjharpur in Madhubani district.
Acquitted of all charges, Amarnath is set to return as a screenplay writer for a crime-based serial soon to be telecast on a Hindi entertainment channel. He is also writing stories for a break in Bollywood.
His dream was cut short in 2007 when he landed in Beur jail on the charge of murdering a friend, Arvind. He was charged on the basis of Arvind's cellphone call details. But the allegations could not be proved in court. Patna High Court granted him bail in February 2013 and acquitted him in March 2014. "I won't say life has been kind to me but I must say it has taught me to swim against the tide," Jha told The Telegraph over the phone from Mumbai.
Amarnath had dabbled in story-writing, screenplay and post-production for TV programmes. But destiny took the promising Delhi University graduate behind bars. Credit goes to his undying spirit, for not letting his creativity take a backseat in jail. While there, he penned Red Action: The Inside Story of Naxalites (yet to be released) and started work on another book, tentatively titled Cambridge of Crime. He has left jail, but writing has not left him. "I have started my life afresh. After a week at my native place, I headed for Mumbai to pursue my passion - writing," he said.
He has taken up post-production work to sustain himself in Mumbai. He has also written stories with which he is approaching a few filmmakers in the hope of finding a break in Bollywood. "I have nothing much to share as nothing has been finalised yet. I have other works, which are keeping me afloat as I struggle to establish myself as a writer in Bollywood," he said.
"I plan to bring out Hindi and English versions of my book on Maoists. I haven't completed my second book, as I got entangled in legal formalities for my release. I'll start work once I release the first book, on the Jehanabad jailbreak." Maoists had freed 100 and odd activists from Jehanabad jail during the November 2005 jailbreak.
Talking of his difficult days, he said it was the support of his family and friends that kept him afloat. Amarnath's wife, Indu Jha, stood rock solid behind him, even supporting him financially by working for a news channel when he was in jail. Amarnath and Indu had kept their love marriage, which took place eight months before his arrest, a secret. They wanted to announce it once a documentary Amarnath was working on was ready for release. Fate decided otherwise but the two remained committed.
Another pillar of support was Anil Singh, a Patna-based businessman and friend. "I was shaken by Amarnath's sudden arrest. I helped him fight legal battles and also financially when he decided to start his life anew on acquittal. I am happy he is leading a dignified life and pursuing his passion."
