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Mumbai Meri Jaan’s (MMJ) latest schedule just started. Ashish Shukla and I were keen on visiting the sets. The shoot was suppose to start at 9:00 am in a studio, but was delayed till 2:00 pm, as the unit had to complete the balance outdoor scenes from yesterday. Shooting outdoors is indeed a challenging task. With little control over the elements any amount of planning is found wanting. It makes the filming even more difficult. One has to take decisions fast and correct. We off course were not sincere to reach at 9:00 am. But were there few hours late. It was still too early for the shoot to start. We decided it was time for lunch. After the meal of Aloo Paranthas and still some time left we decided to look around in the local mall. Ashish just could not control the temptation of buying designer underwears. He bought a black Armani and a grey Versace? By the time we reached the sets the unit had already arrived.
Nishikant along with Sanjay Jadhav (DOP) and Vasanthi (shooting the making of MMJ ) were having refreshments like bhurji pav (scrambled eggs and bread) and cutting (half cup tea). Chak de became the inevitable topic of discussion. Everybody seemed to be bowled over the completeness of the film. The writer had indeed gone in to great detail. The production designers had done remarkable job. The casting was spot on. SRK gave one of his best performances ever. The editor was sharp. The synch sound added the extra magic. Last but not the least Shimit Amin deserved the accolades! Nishikant found it difficult to come out of the Chak de hangover promising to watch it again. He just could not stop praising Shimit Amin. I heard that the film used lot of film stock cans in the media. But when I saw the film, the effort indeed justified the usage. Talking of film stocks we discussed the no. of cans ‘Dombivli fast’(DF) used. It was 109. Normally 1 can = 400 ft of film stock ~ 4 mins of footage approximately for 35 mm(its 10 mins for 16mm). So 109 cans would give 436 mins of rushes out of which 90 to 120 mins have to be used in the film, giving it a ratio of around ¼. An aspiring filmmaker always dreams of a time when he would get 100 cans to fulfill his dream. But it’s not a rule of thumb for all films. In contrast to DF, MMJ has already used 400 cans. The nature of the shoot is such that it is bound to take more time, effort and off course more stock. While DF was completed in around 30 days, MMJ would need around 75 days of shoot in Mumbai plus a week in the USA. 50 days of shoot are completed.
The actors Kay Kay Menon, Irfan, Paresh Rawal and Vijay Maurya have more or less completed their parts. Soha Ali khan, Madhavan and other character actors are remaining. So today was Soha’s turn. While the set of sham shan (cremation place) was getting ready we were discussing the latest happenings on PFC. Who the new icons were, who would be joining PFC soon. Today the game of Cricket had to take a back seat as the time was the issue, but discussion about the game could not die. Anil Kumble’s maiden century in Test Cricket was applauded. The position India had got itself was very strong and atleast the series was secured. “We will have to work really hard to loose this match and level the series”, were Nishikant’s word. To the surprise of the whole country, the next day we had indeed put on a brave fight by not making England to follow on. The belief in fate and in God can be strengthened by the fact that Rahul Dravid has now become one of the most successful Test Captain of India, with two overseas series wins!
Later the director and DOP after exploring the location agreed on the camera position and the method it would move. While the sham shan set was getting ready. Another shot, of Soha standing along the road side with other character actors in the background was canned. It was pleasant to watch the ease with which Soha acted.The shot got over quickly and the camera moved to the set.
All this time we have been discussing cricket and cinema, but forgot a very important development. The National Award Nishikant’s DF won!! We congratulated Nishikant for this very special moment. Initially when the announcement came Nishikant was indeed delighted but got really sucked by its gravity, when his phone just did not stop ringing, with countless number of people congratulating him.
On the same eve we had to attend the rare screening of ‘Om Dar b Dar’ a controversial cult film directed by Kamal Swaroop. We had to miss out on the rest of the shoot. Ashish’s bike and riding skills took us to the venue safely on time. The film lived upto its hype n expectations with none of us able to understand it.

Thanks to Ashish Shukla for contributing pictures to this post

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