Born in the USA, made for India

Mausam. Seasoned with a sprinkling of foreign faces, foreign locales and Indians speaking Yankee-Doodle Dandee. Thirty-seven-year old Sunil ...

Mausam. Seasoned with a sprinkling of foreign faces, foreign locales and Indians speaking Yankee-Doodle Dandee. Thirty-seven-year old Sunil Hali’s pet project. Two-and-a-half years ago, sitting in the USA, Hali came up with the idea of making a serial based in America for Indian audiences. The president of Vision International Pictures — it produces international films, serials and events — Hali wanted to give Indian audiences an insight into life in the US. And so to Mausam (begins March 10, DD-Metro at 8:30 pm).

The serial aims to be a mixed bag combining technical finesse with emotions, tragedy, humour, drama, melodrama… And the actors are Indians based in the USA, as well as a few locals. "The idea is to give a western touch. Life over there involves interacting with Americans after all," explains Hali. So far the unit has finished shooting 10 episodes of the serial at a cost of $15,000 per episode. Hali is unperturbed that he may not be able to recover that investment. "Wedon’t look at it as profit and loss. We want to make a name for ourselves and that cannot be done if we limit our budget," he says. The company is here on a long term plan, and this serial is not a one-off. In fact, Hali does not plan to restrict himself: Mausam will be released globally — US, Europe, South East Asia,…

Keeping that in mind, the plot has been kept international. "People are the same everywhere," Hali feels. Mausam looks at a typical nuclear family abroad where fragmentation and conflict reign supreme. For example, the son marries an American, only to divorce her and marry again. The daughter is in love with a playboy and wants to live with him.

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The serial depicts the changing times, which ironically are cyclical in nature. The lighter side is provided by a naive Indian villager who goes to New York. And by another Indian who is settled in the USA and is trying to be more American than the Statue of Liberty.

The first 10 episodes are also a testing ground. The storyleaves a lot of loose ends and, depending on audience reaction, Hali will decide which paths lead to success and which to dead-ends. So far the crew has shot in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the East Coast. To keep the freshness, the houses have not been repeated. "Also within the house we don’t stay at the same spot. Even a kitchen is not repeated," insists Hali. The aim is to create an authentic American look, in all its diversity — something which cannot be done in the houses here. "There may be better homes here but there is no way you can create the same material or the feel," explains Hali. No stock shots have been used. Even the music is written specifically for a particular scene. The background song is by Suresh Wadkar and the stanzas keep recurring — interweaving with the story and connecting the scenes. The dialogues seek to be simple, yet indepth. "Humour too has its own meaning," adds Hali.

The director of the serial is Ravi Kemo, one-time chief assistant to Shyam Benegal and thedirector of photography is Quam Hasan, who has worked with the likes of David Lean and Richard Attenborough. The cast includes Neera Sharma, Ramesh Mathur, Indira Chandra, Sanjay Shah and Rashmi Singh. Hali himself plays a cameo role. The American flavour is provided by Lisa Heywood, the ex-Miss USA-Petite; Karen Ashey, a soap actress, and Ford model, Diana Roberts. The language remains Hindi for Doordarshan (however odd that might sound) and the English lines will be dubbed. Elsewhere, the serial will be released with subtitles.

Concludes Hali, "We have left no stone unturned. The only thing that can go wrong will be my luck," says Hali.

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