Set the Scene

While Wasiq Khan has created fantastical sets for Ram-Leela,for Gangs of Wasseypur he had to opt for a more realistic space. The nature and scale are decided by the story and sometimes by the filmmakers’ style. Rajnish Hedao,who has worked with Rajkumar Hirani on 3 Idiots and now PK,says that the director likes his world simple and minimal whereas Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Hedao was the production designer on Guzaarish) likes his stories told in a fantastical manner.

Research also plays a role in creating these worlds. Omung Kumar,production designer on Black and Saawariya,had to study the sport of boxing as well as life in Manipur for Mary Kom,which he is also directing. “We can’t shoot in a real stadium every time. Thankfully,boxing is an indoors sport and so fights can be recreated on a set,” he says.

In a production designer’s job,challenges of budget and time are a constant. While shooting for Agent Vinod,Hedao had created a “Russian pub” for the song Rasputin. Short on time,he built the basic structure and stuck sheets of flex printed on the interiors to make it look like a Russian pub. The cinematographer took care of the rest,shooting in a way that the objects appeared three-dimensional.

While these tricks are necessary evils,it’s the detailing in the spaces they create that drives production designers. “A mobile charger plugged in by the bedside,an old bedsheet spread out,chipped mugs — these are the kind of things we use to make spaces feel lived in,aspects that don’t get noticed by the viewers. The idea is to make the audience feel involved in the space and story,” says Teres.

Hedao believes that this visual layering is important. Films such as 3 Idiots have repeat value. “The audience may not have noticed in the first viewing that the water tank where the boys in the film met often,had formulae written on it. But discovering such small things subsequently is what makes the film exciting upon each viewing,” he says.

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