Special appearance

As is the case with Keshav Rae,the director of the Pune-based International School of Corporate Management (ISCOM) featured in the recent blockbuster 3 idiots that saw Aamir Khan,Madhavan,Kareena Kapoor and Sharman Joshi star in it. In fact,he played one of the recruiters who interviews Joshi for a job placement,one of the several memorable scenes of the film.

Rae had dabbled in advertisements earlier,featuring in promos for Bombay Dyeing,Clearasil and Shaadi.com,among others. According to him,the producers of the movie saw one of these advertisements and requested him to take up the role. “I quite enjoy acting,and performed a lot of theatre in my college days,including several Shakespearean plays. I thus jumped at the chance to be part of a film,as it was a new experience for me,” said Rae. “Contrary to popular belief,the people in the film fraternity who I interacted with during the movie were quite simple and down-to-earth,” he adds.

City restaurateur Cheeru Chandawarkar also got a taste of being in front of camera in the new Frooti advertisement. In the ad,Chandawarkar is seen sitting at a table and talking to someone,when a huge mango suddenly falls from the sky. “ The ad was directed by a friend of mine,and she requested me to audition. I never expected to be chosen,and shooting for it was a new and enjoyable experience,” she says.

Both Rae and Chandawarkar state that the resemblance of their roles to the nature of their actual jobs helped them to be at-ease in front of the camera. “When I am at the restaurant,I usually sit and chat with people like I did in the ad,so all I had to do was just be myself,” says Chandawarkar. “During the shooting of the ad,we were merely asked to sit and chat with each other,and they made the giant mango fall from above without informing us. Thanks to this,we were able to express genuine surprise and give more realistic reactions than if we had been trying to act surprised,” she added.

“I was naturally a little nervous before the shot,but nervousness is a part of anything you do in life,and actually helps you to perform better,” states Rae,adding,“Interviewing aspirants is something I do on almost a daily basis,and hence I was able to put in a more convincing performance.”