Negotiating the narrow labyrinthine alleys of Delhi?s walled city, we stroll down the crowded lanes towards Novelty Cinema, right in the backyard of Chandni Chowk. Just a stone?s throw away lies the non-descript Thakurdwara Panchyati Dharamshala, our destination. We make our way through a sea of humanity, pushing, shoving and, at times, being carried forward by its torrents.
Outside the dharamshala, a group of onlookers peep inside, excitement writ large on their faces. We are at the shoot of Paranthe Wali Gali, a feature film with its story based in the heart of the walled city. We are introduced to a bespectacled man who looks a little hurried. He is Sachin Gupta, a theatre personality and the d?butante director, producer and scriptwriter of this film. The film has television actors Anuj Saxena and Neha Pawar in the lead roles.
Inside the make-shift on-location multi-purpose ?control room? for the production, Gupta tells us about his film. ?It?s all about Delhi. The story of Paranthe Wali Gali starts from that popular lane and then makes its way into the lives of the characters. As for the city, I wanted to do something much more than just show India Gate, like most films shot in Delhi do. We are trying to touch a part of Delhi and its life that cinema has not shown till now,? says Gupta, who has done 13 original theatre productions and three Broadway shows in New York. Being his first feature film, the project is definitely special, he says. It?s an almost romantic comedy, we are told, with that distinct old Delhi character.
The film is being shot on location and that makes it a little difficult to manage things unlike in a controlled studio environment. Also, shooting on location costs a lot more than in a studio. But Gupta says the authenticity of location and geography is quintessential to the story. He also swears by the equipment he is using for the film. ?We are going for the latest technology that is being adopted across the board in the film industry. We are shooting with state-of-the-art digital movie cameras. Being the producer as well as the director, I do not want to compromise on quality. Coming from a background of theatre, I am very particular about detailing and the artistic aspect of the film,? says Gupta.
We ask him about the absence of big-ticket Bollywood actors?the A-listers of tinsel town. ?The film is more about the characters and the story rather than the actors. Had I done this a few years ago, maybe I would have gone for mainstream popular actors. But look at the kind of no-brainer cinema that is being made featuring big stars. On the other hand, look at films which have been appreciated across the board over the past two years or so. Most had newcomers and fairly unknown faces,? he says. Also, Gupta says he?s a stickler for discipline and commitment from his crew and actors, which at times can be a major area of concern with a big star.
As of now, he is working on a regular 45-day schedule for the film, which will be followed by a schedule for song sequences and then finally the post-production of the film. While he?s a little wary of putting a date to the film?s release, it will certainly be out within 2013, he says.
We look at the preparations of the shot. The cinematographer is being pushed on a trolley, marking his shot and deliberating with the light and production team on the angles. After about 15 minutes of brainstorming, they decide to do away with a track shot and shoot from the opposite direction. The production staff quickly dismantles the shooting paraphernalia?trolley, track, boom mic, lights, chairs, and much more and reassembles them on the opposite side.
There is a lot of chatter on the set, people calling out to one another, someone holding a light here, pushing a reflector there, it?s like a busy old Delhi bazaar, where people are going about their jobs separately and yet creating something together. The senior production staff is getting a little edgy and everyone?s asked to hurry up so that the shot can be taken. Discipline and sticking to the schedule, according to Gupta, is a great measure to ensure judicious use of funds. ?It?s much better than cutting corners on the quality of the production,? he says.
The set is cleared, the arena is set, the actors take their place. Director Gupta and his assistants are seated about 10 feet away, watching the shots on a screen and yelling orders to actors and technicians. The other staff is still, there is near pin-drop silence. ?Camera?, shouts the assistant director. ?Rolling?, responds the cinematographer. ?Sound?, the assistant director says. ?Rolling?, responds the technician manning the boom mic. ?Action?, Gupta says. There is a clap and the shoot begins, something we had seen on television in behind-the-scenes movie footage but were experiencing for the first time.
Of course, there are takes and retakes, many of them. After considerable effort and painstaking takes and retakes, the shot is finally through. There is applause, and a lot of smiles all around. And just like that, everyone gets around to working on the next shot. The movement of men and material starts again at a frantic pace.