The Real Picture

Over a period of time,Bollywood films have gone from being shot entirely in a studio to being filmed at foreign locales to exploring the cities and towns of India. Back in the ’50s and ’60s,nearly everything—from a car chase sequence to a romantic encounter between the hero and the heroine—was shot indoors. That is before Yash Chopra introduced the Swiss Alps on the silver screen. Although foreign locations continue to play a major role in Hindi films,some filmmakers,especially the younger lot,are making a conscious effort to show the real picture. Films such as Band Baaja Baaraat,No One Killed Jessica,Tera Kya Hoga Johnny,Delhi Belly and the recently-released Allah Ke Banday have been shot at real locations to explore the respective cities’ character in the story.

Rajkumar Gupta,who claims he can’t think creatively while shooting in a studio,says,“Real locations lend that magic touch to the story. There is no replacement for real locations.” Gupta shot his first film,Aamir,at various locations in Mumbai —Marine Drive,Dharavi slums and Bhendi Bazaar were among them. For his second,NOKJ,he has shot in Old Delhi,South Delhi,Connaught Place,Khan Market and also Gurgaon. “The recce is what usually takes time —it took a month to finalise the locations,” he says.

For most filmmakers,the production costs too differ with the locations they choose,Gupta adds. “Putting up a set will almost always cost more than shooting on location.”

On most occasions,it is the story that lends to use real locations,as was in the case of Sudhir Mishra’s Tera Kya Hoga Johnny. “The film focusses on the Mumbai underbelly. I couldn’t have shot the film anywhere else,” says Mishra,who zeroed in on the Colaba slums to film his movie. But he shares a word of caution. “Just placing a camera in a slum doesn’t make a scene artsy. One has to be innovative to bring in the magic of cinema.”

In the case of Band Baaja Baaraat and Allah Ke Banday,it was a tad different. For debutants Maneesh Sharma and Faruk Kabir respectively,authenticity was a major factor. So while Kabir chose to shoot his film at a real remand home,Sharma based his characters in the middle class terrains of Delhi.

While the filmmakers give the impression that it is a cakewalk,shooting at these locales is not as easy after all. Rao reminisces the time when she had to shoot a scene on a crowded Mohammed Ali Road with Aamir Khan. “It was just crazy. We had to quickly shoot our scene and get out of there.” Gupta adds,“There are too many permissions required and there is only a stipulated time allotted to you.”