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Happy Diwali Chaudhary
On the making of Manorama, six feet under.
‘Uljhan’, ‘Bhoolbhulaiyan’, ‘Jal bin machhli’. These were just some of the optional titles bandied about because the producers hated the current name. I was willing to change the title but with one condition attached; the new name had to be better.
The script was originally just; ‘Manorama’. Problem was that everyone I pitched it to thought it was a women oriented subject and that’s instant death in most Bombay film circles.
I think it was Abhay who suggested the ‘six feet under’. This was even before he was attached to it as the lead. I had given him the script to read for feedback (he’s one of the first few friends I made in Bombay) and he was very excited by the character and the story and wanted to be a part of it. I didn’t think he could pull off the role and I was later proven wrong. At that time, I was looking for someone more mature, someone who could essay a mid life crisis.
But that’s not where the story begins (cue: quick images zipping backwards with squeaky sound)
Bombay, 2001. There was a script in my bag. It was set in LA, my onetime home, where I had written it and I arrived in Bombay thinking I would just adapt it to a local setting.
Wrong. Couldn’t be done. Different people. Different values. Different issues. Back to the drawing board.
Next one took two years. It was called ‘Chasing Rainbows’. It had three interconnected characters who realize that sometimes life gives you second chances. Some people loved it. Some thought it pretentious but mostly, they loved it.
Nobody really wanted to make it, though.
I peddled it everywhere I could. There was minor interest and then ‘Yuva’ happened (Really under rated film, by the way. I love it for the most part). Suddenly the received wisdom was that multiple, connecting stories don’t work. Not in India, anyway. I made some half hearted attempts to give it a linear structure but it was dead. Very dead. Yet another two years had passed and the hair on my head was receding quicker than I liked.
Meanwhile, body and soul were being kept together by the wonderful world of advertising. It’s good money and can be fun. Hundreds of ads happened but that urge to address a larger canvas never went away. Some of those ads became quite popular but yet that hunger just wouldn’t die.
Then Manorama happened.
The ad production house I am with suggested a hypothetical budget and said that if we could make a film in that, they were willing to do it. The figure seemed reasonable. A small film could certainly be made in that amount of money without too many compromises. Problem was, there wasn’t a script that fit the bill.
Manorama was supposed to be a quickie. The final twist in the script was a thought that had been floating about in my head for a while. Devika Bhagat was recruited to help flesh out a coherent story that could be told largely as a character piece. The plot was supposed to be pretty stock and secondary at that level. It was the story of a small town guy undergoing a mid-life crisis, who gets the opportunity to actually do something and basically gets screwed in the process.
Incidentally, most of the character stuff ended up on the cutting room floor, proving you can’t have a character piece with an intricate plot line (unless it’s three hours long; our first cut!) The script was a pastiche of noir influences and was hammered together in an intensive period of three months to first draft.
Which brings us to Chinatown.
We can endlessly debate the line between homage and rip off and the argument is nothing new. Just google the words; “Homage v/s ripoff” and you’ll get a hundred threads debating the issue. Truth be told, Manorama has a greater debt in terms of plot to ‘Kiss me Deadly’ than any other film. It’s just that very few people have seen that film. At the end of the day, the audience will have to make up their own minds as to which side of the line, Manorama falls.
Anyway, back to the process.
Script ready, we (Sanjay Bhattacharya, the EP) made the rounds, trying to get actors attached. A talented actor (who arrived with a bang and has screwed up his own career) said he doesn’t do ‘documentaries’. Another gave us a run around for six months without taking a single meeting. Yet others promised to hear it but never did (almost no one in the Industry actually reads a script). This was getting to be frustrating. A year passed.
And then Irfan Khan agreed. He loved the script. He had the dates. His price was right. Celebrations!!
Oops. No. Not yet. The producer suddenly cut the budget by half. Half? Half! Why? Who knows.
It just couldn’t be done in the new budget. Not the right way, anyway and I was once again ready to abandon a project that had been nurtured over years. Depression. Thank god, I don’t really drink.
Then one day, Abhay called; Shemaroo had approached him to do a film. They didn’t have a script or director in mind. Would I be willing to do Manorama with them? The budget they had in mind would work for the story. He’d be playing the lead, of course.
Honestly, I still wasn’t convinced. Everybody around me said that he didn’t fit the part and wouldn’t be able to pull it off. Instinctually, that seemed right and here’s a lesson; follow your gut but not always.
We talked. He agreed to do everything I wanted; moustache, hair, clothes, workshops. The thing about Abhay is, if there’s one thing that he is, he’s sincere. He convinced me and we were on.
Three months of pre-production were planned, two months happened. Some of the crew were people I’d worked with in ads; Arvind Kannabiran (My brother Nikhil, Loins of Punjab) would DP. Mustafa Stationwala was going to do the art. Nameeta Prakash was going to 1st. Manoj Tapadia co-wrote the Hindi dialogues. The rest of the principal crew, I was working with for the first time.
Gul, Raima, Vinay, Sarika happened in short order. They read the script, they liked it, we liked them. Wonderful performers, all.
The only part really difficult to cast was the role of PP Rathore. Nobody wanted to play him. They were worried about their image (What image?). Kulji (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) was finalized after the shoot had begun and I never even had a face to face meeting with him and was worried about that. Was he seeing it the same way I was? Would we get along?
The thing with Kulji is that he’s a fine human being, wonderful to work with and infinitely patient. We got along immediately and he’s essayed a very fine performance. He deserves more from our Industry.
The rest was purely technical; we shot in Rajasthan. It was cold. It was foggy. We had a low budget. Things happened. Film rolled. Tempers flared. Friends were made. Trucks went missing. It rained. Locations were lost. Magic happened. Extras didn’t show up. Crowds refused to be controlled.
A typical film shoot with all its highs and lows but all in all everybody had a great time.
As with most other films, the most difficult part was getting it to the floor.
73 Responses to “Happy Diwali Chaudhary”
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welcome aboard navdeep…… Pleasure to have you here……
very warm welcome navdeepji,
“tere har sawaal ka jawaab” excellent. abhay with moustache, glasses and jacket, small town rough atmosphere- something new. dying to see..
Welcome to PFC Navdeep…
heard earlier regarding Abhay being a sincere individual.. its great that there are ppl like him in the industry.. i think he’s been developin a lot w/ each project.
anyway best of luck and will look out for the film.. cheers! :)
Way to go Navdeep!!!!!!!!
Am awaiting Manorama - six feet under with bated breath specially after reading the preview from Anurag and watching the promos of the movie….
One things for sure,this movie is goin to kick ass and Abhay’s goin to rock…….
That’s wht my gut instinct tells me……
Will be there first day first show for this movie….
After all anything for this extrmely gutsy actor!!!!!!!!!
I’LL BE FUCKING DARNED… This is the most FUCKING get up and stand by your side post I’ve read in some time… Manish’s being the other… (and of course we at PFC will stand by Shashank whatever gun he picks up to shoot)… First day first show dude… And it’s coming to the US on the same day of it’s release in India… PFC Los Angeles IS ON!!!
The actor who came with a bang and later screwed his own career…I presume it is Vivek Oberoi! Haha!
Machchar, you are in the wrong field, you should be a gossip journalist. Yaar in the entire post that’s the only thing you could comment on :-w
Thanks Varun, Shailesh, Baarishh, Muddassir.
Great being here. Hope you like the film and would love to know what you think once (and if!) you see it.
Oz - ‘get up and stand by your side’? Hope that’s good!:-?
Machchar - My lips are sealed.
Navdeep - the foremost reason im looking forward to the film more than anything else is the fact that you have gone and shot it somehwre in rajasthan … when 90% of the films in bollywood still shoot in studios …. and interiors …
Rest of india is still desperately waiting to be explored !!!
Hope the film rocks !!! Cant wait for it
LOL!! i mentioned next to you… not behind you… >:) =)) LOL!!! Expecting a lot from Manorama… do give us a second post with Manorama’s pictures and any video which we haven’t seen as yet… check email
and not the rajasthan of JPD .. small town rajasthan
Yaar Oz, I admire all the strength, the valor etc etc of Navdeep Singh and also many other struggler’s who are working equally or more hard to realize their dreams. Thankfully Navdeep had his ads to keep his stomach full.
See, finally nothing matters…only success….
I have become a cynic…I have become selfish…I have become inhuman….I don’t admire people so easily…
great post..welcome to pfc…
Welcome to PFC Navdeep ji…
Eagerly waiting of Manorama 6 foot under,waise movie name is very very interesting. :)
Hey Navdeep!
we met day before on your screening, with vasan….yaar, need to sit with you again to discuss your detailing…awesome..
welcome to PFC!
WOW! WOW!! WOW!!!
What an entry!!!! Welcome aboard, Navdeep!!
echtreeeeemelY hEaRt warming navdeep!!
welcome aboard!!
Whoever I know saw it in Osian really liked it. Am still waiting for its release. All the Best!
Small Town Rajasthan has been done before..Bawandar, Sarfarosh (some scenes), Kachche dhaage (Saif n Ajay), Reshama aur Shera, etc…but Congrats Navdeep..your story is decidedly different..please ensure it is released intelligently and the usual many prints..lets see what goes kind of release..of course, your producers need to think likewise..Abhay will be good..Raima and Gul I know, shall be awesome. Ranvir and Kulbhushun K are proven already..BTW the casting is fabulous..what I saw in the trailor also looked highly promising.
If you notice, small town Indian movies always have some killer dialogues..hope there are a few here too!!!
All the very best!
Navdeep sir… divine post. Brilliant write. welcome……
have seen glimpses of movie.
certainly, rajasthan backdrop adds a brooding, mysterious feeling to it. me too for FDFS :d/
Raj. hasnt been captured in its true sense in most of the run of the mill movies.
one exception being RUDALI…
aur Kashyap sir humko GULAAL se aap kab rang rahe hain?? kitni holiyan intezaar mein nikal gayin… uski setting bhi to Rajasthan hii hainaa….
anybody would think Oberoi as the actor Navdeep is talking about. lekin machar bhai… mera detective dimaag kehta hai ki (Kashyap sir…maafi)… woh hai — Manoj Bajpai..Logic??
1)Matured looking actor (vivek????)
2)Aur jo budget Navdeep sir ne bataya usme vivek shayad aayega nahin
3)came with a bang and now banged (dono hain)
to 3 mein se 2 miltey hain manoj ko….
Full Power Navdeep!! wel-cum!! …waitin for the release…all the best to u and everyone associated with this film!!
Hi Navdeep, i do feature in one of the scenes of Manorma…never got to see it yet:((…will catch the first show….GUD LUK
shabnam
hi nav
Finally you are here. welcome. like the look of the promos… looking forwards to the film.
anything which beats the monotony of life…manorama will bring fresh air to the already asphyxiated cine buffs..all the best.
Bhelcome to the Clubh Choudhary Saab…..Promise you that I will send the tickets that I brought to watch Manorama in the cinema hall…..keep the popkorn ready……..Popkorn hi dena…maalpoha dakarne ke baad…..meethe meethe shab nahi……LOVED THE FILM…..looking forward to a lot more….
Cheers!!!! :d/:d/
Naren…You got me there….Tera dimag sacch mein detective ka dimag hain! yeah…Manoj Bajpai looks more plausible….
welcome aboard Navdeep. looking forward to this oen and to be honest n frank..m hoping n praying that it doesnt turn out to be chinatown. otherwise like the super(s)hit of the year bheja fry…had no clue whether to cheer for it or feel bad about it…anyway,all the best.
navdeep,
congratulations and good luck. kiss me deadly is one of my favorite noirs. eagerly waiting for your take on it in small town india. i feel a lot of the chandler and other 50s noirs can be adapted to small town india (right set of social circumstances i think…)
happy that it is not yet another mumbai story.
cheers
hallelujah… he finally speaks..good post
Wow. Thanks for the really warm welcome guys. Hope the film is as warmly received. :d
The popcorn is popping!!
hi navdeep, glad to read your post and know a little about where its coming from. I saw the film at osian, and it truly is one of the best hindi films I have seen in a very long time.(last time I got so excited was when I saw paanch 4-5 years back) Many things great about it, but must mention the small-town rajasthan shekhawati region so lovingly evoked. was beautiful. so rare.and the rip-off of chinatown murmur is just ridiculous. then is omkara also a ripoff? Let them try to remake a classic in a rajasthan/western UP milieu.
I have been recommending your film very highly to everybody I know. But your promos unforunately are not inspiring and don’t do justice to your film. And the posters(the ones I saw at osian) are just plain rubbish. Am sorry for being so forthright, but I really want your film to do very well, and I don’t think this kind of publicity will help at all.
Anuj,
Really happy that you liked the film that much!!
Honestly, I didn’t have any control on the publicity and marketing. I would have done it differently too. Next time, it will be in my contract. b-)
I love abhay’s choice of films…
right from socha na thaa, ek chaalis
and now this…
and the fact he suggested - 6 feet under [my all time fav dark humor drama from HBO]
go abhay!!!
regards’ jmd
yeah manan sir i love him too ..you should put him in bollywood glues..
and jmd to you too
and jai bajrang bali too
and bum bhole
Anurag, think you made a mistake sirjee… it’s Bollywood Blues not Bollywood Glues… (typo lagta hain)
- JMD
no i thought manannn sir is bollywood glue.. err sorry he is makin blue glue or he is into blue films or shit i m drunk.. he is into the films about the blues..
saanwariys is blue enough for him.. am i rambling
- Anurag, Please DO NOT INSULT OUR GURU, KATOHARA SIR… How will you feel if I call your movie Pink Friday or Red Saturday or Monday Tuesday Wednesday or how about I call Paanch now Che??? And don’t even have me get started on No Smoking… how will you feel if our KATOHARA Worshipers Groups (KWG… sometimes mistaken for KKKK aka Kabhi Katohara Kabhi Katora) calls No Smoking say, Yes Smoking or No Cigaring or No Dhoomrapaan Dandi… or how about calling DEV D as BHEN D…
So please don’t even ATTEMPT to forget the name of the greatest movie our Guru KATOHARA is making and it is called BOLLYWOOD BLUES
:) thanks Anurag Sir…
God-Willing, Inshallah
will get him for “Se#, Lies and DESIS” in 2009
Regards’ Jai Mata Di!
“Pink Friday” lol…
DON G… u r brilliant… ^:)^
:-? “Pink Friday” would be a nice title for the sequel to cult classic “OFFICE SPACE”…
cos’ thats when most corporate houses
lay off their employees ~X( [hand out pinks slip on JUMMA]
after my MBA, my first job was with NORTEL NETWORKS… nortel was the rising drag queen in the world of TELECOMMUNICATIONS =d> … few years later - it was all downhill.. l-)
I survived many such pink fridays in 2003
but one black friday… :(
so lets blame that pink friday for me making such horrific films [-x
i should stick to IT/Finance
[-o< jai mata di
What is Se# Kotoraji?
How will you make a movie when you feel shy of typing its name on a public forum?
Nevdeep….
Welcome to you!
I love the look you have given to Abhay. I’m looking forward to your film more than any other film these days.
*********
Watching- TOKYO-GA - Wim Wenders make a tribute film for OZU & Tokyo.
Mainak…
Being in the online media/advertising for last 5 years, I have learned you cant assume sh#t…
Some filters dont allow certain words…
Some forums as well…
But thanks for ‘lesson of the day’…
I guess - some people dont get “Se#”
Hmmm… something to think about…
Regards’ Jai Mata Di!
Prabu KATOHARA-JEE, I never knew you worked at NORTEL, you are an MBA, and were in ONLINE MEDIA/ADVERTISING (your stupid enemies call it SPAMMING) for the last 5 years… Your hidden achievements and qualities are slowly being revealed and we are truly blessed.
- JKAS
(Jai KATOHARA AND SIRS)
:) u r welcome DON G…
that makes 4 of us…
Feel free to join us on OCT 28, 2007
- Old Westbury, NY! 2PM-5PM…
Regards
Nevdeepji we sure will watch the film and share our thoughts! :):)
[Editor Comment: Manan, please stop spamming the posts with unnecessary and unrelated links and messages. Final warning!
Have you seen this promo
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