UMANG JAISWAL
just trying to survive
Super elated to present the D-cut of “Ohhh! Ritesh!” -the Oyo Free Stays League film that I had the honour to direct with the amazing folks @jhatpat_talkies .
This project was a true labour of love and I cannot thank everyone enough for the kindness, generosity and support they have shown in me and my craft.
The biggest shoutout to the executioner extraordinaire @kunal4pardeshi and my godfather @ferozbkhan
A big warm hug and lots of love to the entire team behind these stunning visuals-
Oyo Free Stays League @riteshagar
Director : Umang Jaiswal
Production House : Jhatpat Talkies
Executive Producer : Feroz Khan & Kunal Pardeshi
Cinematographer : Leslie D’souza @lesliedsouza_
Costume Stylist : Kayal Kothari @stylebykayal
Hair & Makeup : Isha Sinha
Production Designer : Flying Art
Cast : Sarika Sanghi, Usman Khan @iusmaankhann , Mahender Bhist, Priyanka Gandhi @priyankagandhi_0 , Rakesh Giri, Manav Sethi @manavsethi5 , Nitin Sharma @its.nitin_
Chief Growth Officer : Kavikrut
Head of Brand : Nishant Jayaswal
Brand Manager : Vrushika Sharma @sharmavrushika
Client Team : Shashank Jain, Anushka Ahuja,Saumya Tripathi, Kritick Nayak, Chaavi, Yugal Kishore, Somya Maheswari, Rajesh Kumar, Aratrika Gupta, Apurvi Kurukshetra, Yugal Kishore, Nandani Singh, Amit Gawande
Agency : Nikhil Choudhary, Shikha, Mahek Jain
Music Director : Sukhamrit - Sachin @sukhamritsachin
Offline Editor : Kunal Brid @brid_kunal
Colorist : Dmytro Vasylenko @dima.color
Sound Design : Bashab Bhattacharjee
Online Artist : Vinay Amin
DA : Ria Gandhi @gandhiria
1st AD : Soumil Kothari
Line Production : Mandeep Mishra @mandeepmishra
Costume Team : Yasthika @yashtikasharmaaa
Art Team : Rupesh Pandey
1st AC : Jayesh Prakash Sen @jayesh__sen
Focus Puller : Manish Mishra
Gaffer : Rahul Baliyan (Flamingo Lights)
Casting Team : Castingwala Company @castingwaala_company
Post Producer : Kunal Patel @kp_240892
Post Houses : Nube Studios, Prime Focus Studios, AudiobyBashab, Bayowl Studios @nubecirrus @officialprimefocus @audiobybashab @bayowlstudios
Accounts Executive : Pooja Panchal
Boys : Yogender and Team

Smol.
Friends call me. Ask me how my health is. Sigh in relief and express their gratitude to God that I’m okay.
But am I? I’m slowly starting to be reduced to a health problem in the lives of those who care the most about me. And i see why, but it makes me feel smol.
Emergent situations, hospital visits and praying for my life has become our default. And when none of those things are ringing sirens over our heads, we’ve forgotten how to be friends anymore.
I blame me. And the helplessness i felt. But is that really right? I blame them. And wonder how more to tell them that i miss them being just my friends. But is that right?
In this world I don’t know up from down anymore and I know they don’t too. We are all trying to figure out ways to show up for each other while still trying to show up for ourselves.
I wish this world hadn’t taught us that they both are mutually exclusive. I wish we remembered how to be, and feel and heal in the presence of those who were also hurting and healing and feeling. I wish emotions weren’t made out to be burdens we carry and in turn subject other people to carry. I wish speaking to each other from the truest depths of your heart was more an everyday integration than an accolade worthy act.
If the pinnacle is the performance of human experience and that’s what we are all striving for, then it’s the final curtain call for me.
I wish to speak, live, be, feel and heal with and amongst obstinate, loud, stubborn, safe and messy love.
If there is a smol magic i believe in, it is this.

Smol.
Friends call me. Ask me how my health is. Sigh in relief and express their gratitude to God that I’m okay.
But am I? I’m slowly starting to be reduced to a health problem in the lives of those who care the most about me. And i see why, but it makes me feel smol.
Emergent situations, hospital visits and praying for my life has become our default. And when none of those things are ringing sirens over our heads, we’ve forgotten how to be friends anymore.
I blame me. And the helplessness i felt. But is that really right? I blame them. And wonder how more to tell them that i miss them being just my friends. But is that right?
In this world I don’t know up from down anymore and I know they don’t too. We are all trying to figure out ways to show up for each other while still trying to show up for ourselves.
I wish this world hadn’t taught us that they both are mutually exclusive. I wish we remembered how to be, and feel and heal in the presence of those who were also hurting and healing and feeling. I wish emotions weren’t made out to be burdens we carry and in turn subject other people to carry. I wish speaking to each other from the truest depths of your heart was more an everyday integration than an accolade worthy act.
If the pinnacle is the performance of human experience and that’s what we are all striving for, then it’s the final curtain call for me.
I wish to speak, live, be, feel and heal with and amongst obstinate, loud, stubborn, safe and messy love.
If there is a smol magic i believe in, it is this.

Smol.
Friends call me. Ask me how my health is. Sigh in relief and express their gratitude to God that I’m okay.
But am I? I’m slowly starting to be reduced to a health problem in the lives of those who care the most about me. And i see why, but it makes me feel smol.
Emergent situations, hospital visits and praying for my life has become our default. And when none of those things are ringing sirens over our heads, we’ve forgotten how to be friends anymore.
I blame me. And the helplessness i felt. But is that really right? I blame them. And wonder how more to tell them that i miss them being just my friends. But is that right?
In this world I don’t know up from down anymore and I know they don’t too. We are all trying to figure out ways to show up for each other while still trying to show up for ourselves.
I wish this world hadn’t taught us that they both are mutually exclusive. I wish we remembered how to be, and feel and heal in the presence of those who were also hurting and healing and feeling. I wish emotions weren’t made out to be burdens we carry and in turn subject other people to carry. I wish speaking to each other from the truest depths of your heart was more an everyday integration than an accolade worthy act.
If the pinnacle is the performance of human experience and that’s what we are all striving for, then it’s the final curtain call for me.
I wish to speak, live, be, feel and heal with and amongst obstinate, loud, stubborn, safe and messy love.
If there is a smol magic i believe in, it is this.
We learnt 2 things from this shoot - 1. We make laptop commercials bloody well. 2. Raj Shamani agrees with point 1.
Our latest with the elite gang at Womb for ASUS Raj Shamani.
Director: @writtenwreck
Executive Producers: @ferozbkhan @kunal4pardeshi
DOP: @akaptures
Costume: Saloni Jain
Hair & Makeup: @bakedbeauties05
Production Design: Namrata Basak
Associate Producer: Shantal Bakshi
Line Production Team: Mandeep Mishra ,Prashant Athagara ,Ananya
Brand: @asusindia
Client: Dinesh Sharma
Agency: @thewombkicks
Co-Founder: Kawal Shoor & Navin Talreja
CCO: Suyash Khabya
COO: Heval Patel
Creative Team: Sohil Wadhwania, Paritosh Lonkar, Ankita Sawant, Kartik Iyer
Planning Team: Rohit Mani
Account Management: Sneha Karkera and Deepshikha Dutta
Lead Cast: @rajshamani
Casting: @castingwaala_company
Talent: Arzoo Bhatiya, Satyam Sharma, Raihaan Esmail, Bhavya Chauhan
Post Producer: Kunal Patel
Offline: Sushant Jha
Online: @ajinkya.jadhav05
Colourist: @sujithvijayan__
Sound: Aditya Arya
1st AD: @sasmitparkhe
DA: @maherwadia
Intern: @vain.zip
AC: Tushar Jamtani
Focus Puller: Pramod Shetty
Product Shot DOP: Vanshika Singh
Post Houses: Splice Studioz, TIAC Recording Studio
Lights: Light & Craft
Gaffer: Dadu Bamaniya
Camera: Tanvi Enterprises
Grip: Global Lights
Production Boy: Yogendra Patel & Team

I finally met Douglas this Christmas.
When we moved into our society almost 4 years ago, it was around Christmas and we were introduced to this tree as this marvel in our colony that has been a part of record books. It was this 6 floor tall thin pine tree struggling to survive in the Mumbai winters- strung all around with a plethora of mismatched lights that gave it some sort of conical semblance. I never took the record thing very seriously.
Christmas 2025 was probably the worst Christmas I’ve had. While the world might think it’s inconsequential for me to be so affected by a holiday i don’t have cultural roots associated with, Christmas has ALWAYS been special to me because my parents made it feel magical.
I’ve always had and decorated a tree at home. My parents put gifts for me under it. And I’ve spent many Christmas Eves awake, post a family festive movie session, waiting for Santa to visit. Which until i was well into my pre teens, i believed to be true.
So when Christmas came with more complications and reality checks rather than magic, i didn’t deal with it well and somehow that’s when i met Douglas.
Douglas is about 60. He lost his sister to blood cancer half a lifetime ago. Christmas was her favourite holiday too. And he made her a promise that he would never stop decorating their tree for as many Christmas’ more than her that he’d see.
So now, even though Douglas lives abroad for the most part. Every year in December, he returns to his childhood home to light up this massive Christmas tree so that his sister could see her favourite festival from the heavens above.
I asked Santa for a sister the year before Lochan was born and for as long as i can remember, she has always been my Christmas Miracle.
I still don’t believe that tree holds a record, but on Christmas 2025, i realised it holds something greater- hope and love.
To miracles.

I finally met Douglas this Christmas.
When we moved into our society almost 4 years ago, it was around Christmas and we were introduced to this tree as this marvel in our colony that has been a part of record books. It was this 6 floor tall thin pine tree struggling to survive in the Mumbai winters- strung all around with a plethora of mismatched lights that gave it some sort of conical semblance. I never took the record thing very seriously.
Christmas 2025 was probably the worst Christmas I’ve had. While the world might think it’s inconsequential for me to be so affected by a holiday i don’t have cultural roots associated with, Christmas has ALWAYS been special to me because my parents made it feel magical.
I’ve always had and decorated a tree at home. My parents put gifts for me under it. And I’ve spent many Christmas Eves awake, post a family festive movie session, waiting for Santa to visit. Which until i was well into my pre teens, i believed to be true.
So when Christmas came with more complications and reality checks rather than magic, i didn’t deal with it well and somehow that’s when i met Douglas.
Douglas is about 60. He lost his sister to blood cancer half a lifetime ago. Christmas was her favourite holiday too. And he made her a promise that he would never stop decorating their tree for as many Christmas’ more than her that he’d see.
So now, even though Douglas lives abroad for the most part. Every year in December, he returns to his childhood home to light up this massive Christmas tree so that his sister could see her favourite festival from the heavens above.
I asked Santa for a sister the year before Lochan was born and for as long as i can remember, she has always been my Christmas Miracle.
I still don’t believe that tree holds a record, but on Christmas 2025, i realised it holds something greater- hope and love.
To miracles.

I finally met Douglas this Christmas.
When we moved into our society almost 4 years ago, it was around Christmas and we were introduced to this tree as this marvel in our colony that has been a part of record books. It was this 6 floor tall thin pine tree struggling to survive in the Mumbai winters- strung all around with a plethora of mismatched lights that gave it some sort of conical semblance. I never took the record thing very seriously.
Christmas 2025 was probably the worst Christmas I’ve had. While the world might think it’s inconsequential for me to be so affected by a holiday i don’t have cultural roots associated with, Christmas has ALWAYS been special to me because my parents made it feel magical.
I’ve always had and decorated a tree at home. My parents put gifts for me under it. And I’ve spent many Christmas Eves awake, post a family festive movie session, waiting for Santa to visit. Which until i was well into my pre teens, i believed to be true.
So when Christmas came with more complications and reality checks rather than magic, i didn’t deal with it well and somehow that’s when i met Douglas.
Douglas is about 60. He lost his sister to blood cancer half a lifetime ago. Christmas was her favourite holiday too. And he made her a promise that he would never stop decorating their tree for as many Christmas’ more than her that he’d see.
So now, even though Douglas lives abroad for the most part. Every year in December, he returns to his childhood home to light up this massive Christmas tree so that his sister could see her favourite festival from the heavens above.
I asked Santa for a sister the year before Lochan was born and for as long as i can remember, she has always been my Christmas Miracle.
I still don’t believe that tree holds a record, but on Christmas 2025, i realised it holds something greater- hope and love.
To miracles.
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