On spending 2 minutes with “Aladin”
iView Author : Nikhil V.
Nikhil V. is the writer a writer working with Sujoy on a few projects. He’s filling in for Sujoy, who is caught up in the post production work of Aladin.
ON SPENDING 2 MINUTES WITH ‘ALADIN’
On the sets of Aladin : Tinu giving the clap
It is strange this had to start in tears.
More than 4 years and countless sacrifices, sleepless nights, the kind of pressures none of us could even imagine, de-prioritizing and putting off everything, sometimes even the most important things in our lives: kids birthday parties, friends’ weddings, promised visits to parents, anniversaries, time with loved ones; losing sleep, losing weight, losing hair, losing our mind, finding faith, finding an unknown strength among ourselves that no matter how impossible the task this team, this family of people involved would somehow surmount it; heartbreak, heartache, heartburn – our entire LIVES put to the pillory without respite – and here it was, finally.
There was nothing that we would have done any other way, though. No doubts about that. When people laughed at us for having set ourselves standards too high to attain, we bowed our heads and pushed the bar even further up. This was not just a film. This was not just a motion picture event. This was our faith, our belief, our hope, our life we were putting up there. This was what we believed could be possible with hindi movies, with great stories, and damn right we were going to tell it well and to the best of our abilities and to the last drop of blood in our bodies we were going to make it the grandest, best movie possible. And not stop till the goal is reached.
On the sets of ALADIN : Sujoy-Sirsha
It’s not as simple as Hitchcock saying ‘It’s only a movie’. He was the first to admit he could never convince himself that it was only just that. Sometimes it was more than that. It was a point of view, it was a way of making who you were, standing naked, stripped of masks and facades and poses before the world and saying this is what I believe in – and having the courage to take the world laughing you off the stage. But every artist, ever maker, braves that every single second.
Making a movie is a matter of faith, not just technique or finances or time. It is faith and faith alone. One man or woman’s faith driving an entire crew of actors, technicians, thousands of people and crores of rupees towards the final war – the appreciation of the audience. One mis-step in that faith and an entire army of people can falter, rebel, lose the goal. Spielberg was right in saying a film director is like a general in the army. Because a film crew is an army of people, various battalions (lighting, camera, props, set, art, actors, ADs, sound, editing) leading different battles, all in tune, aiming to win the final war. And mike in hand, urging them on, coaxing, cajoling, screaming, leading by example, tearing his/her hair – or that of the crew – is the director, charting out an impossible task of making a film in a certain amount of time and within a certain budget and with no knowledge of forces majeure that will come into play the moment the film is even thought of, and come into play in the most astonishingly teeth-gnashingly ridiculous ways. Almost always an impossible task. But one man(or woman, though here it is a man so will do away with the PC for this essay from now on) takes it upon himself to lead his troops into dubious war, and take what can only be likened to Custer’s Last Stand and actually hope to win. His hope is what drives the troops he gathers, his faith. And every film that ever gets made is a testament to that man’s (or woman’s) hope and faith. And now let me quote one of my favourite lines from any living director, Frank Darabont.
‘But here’s what the critics don’t know: The amazing thing about any movie is not whether it’s good, but that it got made at all. That’s amazing.’
That’s what is not just amazing but stupendous about ‘Aladin’. That a film like this could get made. Could get made with the free hand we got on SFX and sets and stars and that we could make a film of such scale and grandeur and that it turned out right and is such a treat to watch and whoever has seen the rough cuts has said one thing the most: it’s a FUN film, the way films were meant to be.
Steve Jobs once said in an interview about the iPod that he knew it was a success when everyone involved in the making of it wanted one for themselves and their families, even before it hit the market. It’s the same with ‘Aladin’. Everyone involved in it, even those who were on it for a few days, want to show it to their families and friends. It’s just that kind of movie. I’d seen a rough cut months back and I’m still trying to figure out a way to get my wife to watch it – it’s just the sort of film I’m excited to share with the people I love the most. It’s a feeling unimaginable, mainly because you hear things like this about other people and their movies. But here we are, and we are in the middle of the same phenomenon. People working on it have been on other movies but by their own admission, this is one of those rare ones they really want to show and share and tell people about.
And the multiplex-producer strike put paid to the plans we had of releasing in July and of starting the promotions this week. Much to our chagrin, everything is having to be reworked now, including when the first theatrical trailer and TV promos will come out. But as is the case with life, you either make a lemonade or you don’t. So this extra time means we’ve worked out a new trailer and IT IS KICKASS.
Which is how this rambling essay started. In tears. Because I just saw the new theatrical trailer, all of 2 minutes, a rough cut.
And it brought tears to my eyes.
Because I realised no matter how long it took to get here, how hard the journey was, all those one and a half years of pre-production, more than 150 days of shoot, and then the year or so of post, all that blood, sweat, tears and all that faith was somehow, magically contained in those 2 minutes. And it was GOOD! It was PERFECT! It was the trailer of a film in which a lot of time, love and skill had been invested – and it looked DAMN COOL. It looked like the trailer of ‘Aladin’ should be like – the sweep, the scale, the simple magic of movies, all wrapped around the powerhouse performances of Sanjay Dutt, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandes and of course, the one and only Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. Kudos to Kabir and his team who cut the trailer.
On the sets of ALADIN : Sujoy and Riteish
But another reason it brought tears to my eyes it because it was the condensation of 4 years of a man’s life in 2 minutes, and no matter what happens later at the BO, I knew this film, this life was a success. And I just wanted to tell Sujoy : Sir, it was worth it. All that time and faith and passion you put into this film comes through and hits you in the solar plexus. And in the flashing images of the trailer I can feel the tug of my familiar though long dormant voice that once used to say – this film I HAVE to see in the theatres. I’m proud of having known you when you were making this film. And honoured that you trusted me with showing the first cut of it and asking for my opinion. And I’m sure once people see this trailer, they will want to come out and see the film, no matter when it is released, no matter how it is promoted or marketed or positioned. This is a good film, made with a lot of love and tremendous skill and I believe a great product of a team of extremely talented people.
On the sets of ALADIN : Sujoy and Riteish
The strike has pushed timelines for us, and this trailer will only come out about a month from now, but it will be worth the wait. We’ve waited upwards of 4 years since you first thought of ‘Aladin’, what’s 4 weeks more? 
I know a lot of you (if not all) will dismiss this as a film plug, a sycophantic rave, but all I can say is – wait for the trailer. If I could, I would have posted it with this piece, but I can’t. And once you see the trailer, you’ll see why it had to start in tears.
This piece.
Tags: Making, Sujoy Ghosh
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Ah dude. The feeling of making a film, being part of a film, even if it’s in a tiny way, and i trust you when you say it’s awesome, after all your film is a million times bigger than any of our short films, but the labour pain is the same, the passion is the same, and when you put all those hours, and as you said-sacrifice and compromise on many important things, the feeling after the film is made-it’s undescribable.
Awesome post buddy! =)
I can see why you’re in tears =)
Way to go, super inspiring !
@ Nikhil- hey!that was certainly heartfelt.Having worked on a movie and now that its complete and waiting for release, one goes through a series of emotions.Tension, anguish,pride,happiness etc.So even without watching the trailer I can kind of visualise why you must have cried.Now I’m eager to watch the trailer ( been eager to watch the movie from the time it got announced publicly) too.Way to go and all the best.
amazing post. Kudos to your effort and being part of a creation your believed in and believe in still.
Where the imagination and reality meet lies the destiny of a man.
I seriously hope for the prosperity of Hindi cinema industry that this film does well… Indian movies have to try something more than drama!
heartfelt post. dint miss sujoy’s writ-up. he cudnt hv done better. oh, i forgot, u ARE a writer…!!
waiting for the trailer., and the film of course. whn is it releasing?
Masha Allah,what a post, felt every word.
@nikhil
I could actually feel your tears while reading this.
Please keep us updated on the promotion and release plans.
Bole to… release date batao and show us the f***ing trailer!!!! :D
Bring on the trailor !!
A very neat and a heartfelt writeup…
And I loved the quote by Frank Darabont, so bloody true!!
The only thing is that Sujoy’s posts and ur post are raising the expectations sky high…and higher the expectations are the tougher it is to meet them…All the best and I hope that Aladin meets the expectations..
oye emosanal! emosanal oye! as sudhir rightly said ur posts are raising the expectations sky high…and higher the expectations are the tougher it is to meet them… but am sure u know wut u r talking. expecting the world from aladin. keep the faith.
Sky High? You’ve made expectations go straight out of the solar plexus. Whew- really hope for your and Sujoy’s sake it meets them. I just hope its not another case of great work invested on a mediocre script, which I find truly heartbreaking.
Great post BTW. Honest, heartfelt.
I could literally feel the tears of joy in the post.
I seriously look forward to this movie and I hope that all that “teeth-gnashingly ridiculous ways” pay off in the end. Wishing you all the best and like you ‘hoping to catch this one in the big screen’!!
Ofcourse, I am a nobody and still I would say – great post!!! and Keep it coming!!!:-) ;-)
As Jehan said above, awesome, inspiring post.
if this is what some according to you will call a sycophantic rave, well i prefer this to a thousand pieces of so called objective critiques.
this is awe-inspiring stuff….pls do write more on pfc..
This is REAL PASSION FOR CINEMA…All the best.
Its always good to read a writer’s blog. I sincerely hope the movie turns out to be as good as you say. In any case, I will watch in..in a theater!
This is kind of surreal…writing on a blog that I have been an avid reader of for years, a place where I have stood quietly in the background and seen the fireworks when Anurag took on the ‘critics’ and detractors and anyone who had the gumption to stand and argue – saw the incredible highs of the ‘No Smoking’ diary and heard the incredibly candid chat with Dibakar, saw the set pictures of ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’ and ‘Gulal’, not to mention was privy to someone trying not to bullshit, someone admitting only adults, another selling dreams while someone was trying not to slip into oblivion, and so many others – surreal to end up writing on this platform, seeing my words on this site…and then actually seeing these comments on it. And what is even more joyful is the feeling of camaraderie that this creates – if you guys feel this was heartfelt and sincere and are looking forward to the film as much as I and the ‘Aladin’ team is, well, I am not alone. And that’s the essence of PFC, isn’t it? A home for people like us who are driven by passion – and reason – for cinema. Who are not your standard ‘good’ boys/girls who just chose a profession and became automatons – because we dream, and dare to take the dream seriously and are willing to give up on everything else just to see that dream come true. And it’s hard, not because making movies is difficult – that’s the tip of the iceberg – it’s hard because why you want to make movies is indescribable, but why you want to stand on a set for 20 hours a day and just watch one being made, or just browse a site and fill up on how others, maybe continents away, are making it – even more so
As Baudelaire would say, … ‘A poet is a monarch of the clouds – riding storms, braving the bows and slings; exiled on earth, amid the jeering crowds – he cannot walk, for he has giant’s wings…’
PFC is the place where all of us can walk and share the joys and burdens of these giant wings we were born with or acquired, these giant wings of celluloid dreams. And I can never thank (the Wizard of) Oz and you guys for that. For making that place where I can come home and warm my bones at night, after a long (and usually futile) day at work. So thanks, again, for all the comments.
@ Jehan – Thanks so much. But do remember – no film is big or small, only thinking makes it so:) My first random short was a Rodriguez-inspired Rebel-without-a-crew thing, but it meant just as much to me, and was just as big. Because the scale is in the mind. So kudos to you for making your short films because I seriously believe they are the most difficult form of film to make and master.
@Sethumadhavan – Thanks for understanding the emotions behind the piece so well. It’s actually like getting married in court – the world doesn’t know ;) The film’s locked and loaded and the entire team is humming the great songs and talking about the awesome Mr. Bachchan-Riteish scenes and how cool Sanjay Dutt is looking – and then we step out into the world and realise – no one actually knows, and we can’t tell :D But hopefully will get out a teaser soon, and then come July first week, the theatrical trailer will hit the screens. Thanks again for the wishes.
@Rmn – rightly said. But then we write our own destinies, so I’m glad I imagined being a part of the world of movies, and made it real or I would have been in a boring job somewhere, living a lie
@Sudipto – will pass on your words to every producer I know. We need more like you!
@Satyendra – trailers out in July first week. Film on August 14.
@Cinemausher – Thanks.
@Gaurang – will do. As mentioned above, keep August 14 free
And patience, the trailer will be out soon…no need to use such language :p
@Ajay Kumar Saxena – Yessir! Soon. Very soon.
@Sudhir Nair – We hope the film meets the expectations. But we also know it will
As they say, the best students get the hardest tests. We wouldn’t want a simple test ;)
@Magik – Hope you get an out-of-the-world experience from the film ;) Thanks for the kind words.
@Jahan – That is not the case, rest assured. Script is great, wonderful characters, great lines, and the film grows and builds on it further:) That was my first worry as well, but after I saw it my first reaction was that I loved it on the basis of the script – the edits weren’t even locked so I didn’t know then what it would look like. Got sold on the story and characters and the execution.
@Ashwini, Jaiganesh, Arun Prakash, Sonali – thanks so much. Will try and write more, and better, in the future.
Take care everyone.
Honestly I wasn’t eagerly waitin for this one but now after reading your heartfelt post I am seriously imagining the trailer and grandness of it
I hope it quenches my thirst … best of luck 4 the film n ur future too …
passionate post…..hope your hard work doesn’t go in vain.
If PFC is for entertaining, sharing, teaching, it is also for writing your heart out! Ur right about Sujoy’s and your life being worth it. You are raising the ante with this film (If it turns out right, that is). U have sincerely put in the effort. Lets wait and watch for the film, or the trailer first!
Nikhil, why the slashed out “the writer” from the intro and replaced with “a writer”
a very honest n sincere post indeed….
@Saurabh, Jibin, Rasik, Vinay – thank you so much. Both me and Sujoy really hope you guys will like the film – and before that the trailer. Working on bringing it to you very soon:) We really believe no hard work goes in vain and your comments are proof of that. If just writing about it gets you waiting to see it, we hope actually seeing the trailer will get you lining up before the ticket stalls like never before
It’s a nice, happy, fun film made with a lot of honesty and sincerity and we try to reflect that in whatever we write… thanks so much again for the appreciation
Also @Vinay – I think the editors would be in a better position to answer that – I think there was a error about my writing projects that they corrected.
@Saurabh – it’s people like you who give us hope and strength to slave on those extra hours past midnight (third midnight running)…hope to not just quench your thirst but to also give you a new one- for the sequel maybe ;)
gr8 heartfelt post… waitin for the movie like anything
hi . it is so inspiring to read your post . i really wish tat aladin will do wonders at the box office . i can see frm ur words how much efforts have gone to make this film . i have read ur blog n all i can say is i am getting too attached to aladin n its film making now . i have jus a question to ask you .now tat the film is releasing on 14th aug ,is only a months publicity enough for such a big budget film. Love aaj kal which is too a eros film the promotions are already goin on since a while n people are already waiting for tat film . another 1 is kites . film is far away from its release but the normal people know about it ,same with kaminay which is releasin at the same day as aladin . but people know about it from a long time . but the same is not happening with aladin as nothin has been talked bout anywhere in the media for the normal public to know bout it . n so many films are lined up at the monent for release dont u think it would be a good idea to jus get it publicised soon as aladin is lucky to have a good time to promote ?jus a question asked to you as i am a big fan of boss .n have a good concern bout it after seein ur efforts . take car n will wish that aladin will rock to the core .
I do not have any experience in film making. Have never ever been remotely involved in one. And hence do not feel your tears. However as a viewer i do remember my tears and the feeling of sheer frustration as i had walked out of the theatre having been tormented by home delivery. And my worry is that this post sounds suspiciously familiar to the way Ross describes his creation Science boy or his keyboard created music. He believed they were out of the world. Sadly noone else in friends ought so. All the best.