Some kids wanted to be Bollywood stars. I on the other hand wanted to be the location scout and production assistant. Even though exotic locations and sets are de rigueur in most Bollywood films today, the location scout and PA positions still look appealing to me.
I can picture it now; some fat cat producer and a sweatshop of screenwriters churn out the same old pap then decide to inject some excitement into the plot when the hero/heroine/villain decides to train/prance/meet somewhere other than India.
I want skyscrapers! Lots of them, and maybe some bridges, they have railings that come in handy for the dance sequence. Get me some damn railings! says the director.
And cars, sleek fast sports cars convertibles, they have to have the top down for the song sequence! Get me some fast convertible cars dammit.” (Im picturing the Indian version of the 1940s Hollywood executive here barking these in Hindi)
This is when a producer usually chimes in since he has a good chunk of change invested.
Can we get some gardens or amusement parks in the sequence?
Yeah, get me some g**damn amusement parks!! If we need to reserve Six Flags in New Jersey for a whole week, just do it!
Now I havent watched too many recent Bollywood films in its entirety. But from what I have seen, they seem to be rehashes of B grade Hollywood films. While production values have increased, the quality of the actual content has gone down the tubes. We are subjected to actresses who spend more time in the makeup chair than learning how to emote. (Yes, yes we get it, you are wearing, lipstick, lip gloss and lip liner. You have lips, and they are very prominent.). The men dont fare any better, they are cookie-cutter Euro-trash wannabes (with extra product for the hair). Dont even get me started on the dance sequences. Every new choreography sequence today takes one part Janet Jackson (circa Rhythm Nation 1814) robotic moves with two parts of Christina Aguilera skank moves and a dash of Beyonce sashay and booty shake.
Which brings me back to being a location scout/PA for these films. If a decision is made to shoot in an American or European city, it looks like the only thing you have to do is get a permit, set up equipment, and get the actors on mark and start shooting. Dont worry about the street traffic or pedestrians. You wont have to walk around with a bullhorn asking people to keep moving or not look into the camera. Having a bunch of westerners in the background while they point to the leading lady as she sings and dance is not only required but probably strongly encouraged. This seems to be the only tradition in the Bollywood film that has survived.
With that, may I direct your attention (bittorrent file)to the stylings of Rishi Kapoor (slightly beyond his prime and packing a few pounds) and Sridevi (who looks like she raided Vanessa Huxtables wardrobe) in Gurudev (1993). Hes dressed as a male nurse, she looks like she just escaped an episode of Foxs The Swan gone horribly wrong and theyre both frolicking in what looks like a scale model European city. Check out the people in the background.
Note: For the torrent challenged, you can always get a zipped version here.
