TEAM SORRY BHAI! SPEAKS….
This post is sponsored byTEAM SORRY BHAI! SPEAKS…
“SORRY BHAI!” began way back in 2005 when Ashwini Malik(my script writer) gave me the screen play and asked me if I would like to direct the film. The film was then called “My Brother’s Bride”. We changed it later because it was sounding too close to “My Brother Nikhil” and people might get the wrong signals.
I remember once I started to read the script I could not put it down. It was unusual, contemporary, and bold. I was laughing and at the same time aware that the film was treading a thin line. But at the end of the script I was left smiling and desperately wanting to see it happen.
This bit of the post hopefully clears the talk about my film being a lift from
“ Dan in Real Life”
I have been thinking what to write next…. And thought maybe its time the team behind the film spoke. I realize everything is so actor centric, and then the director and maximum the music composer. What about the rest. So I decided to introduce PFC to my creative team to and let them talk about themselves and share their thoughts about the film and their experience…. They will log in and try to answer as many queries as possible…. So here it goes over to my wonderful team who made this film such a pleasurable experience for me….
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- sorry bhai!
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- My DOP Sachin
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- THE SOUND TEAM AT WORK
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- AMITABH AND KK
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- Onir with Script supervisor Subha
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- THE LAST DAY OF SHOOT
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- VIVECK PHILIP
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- VIVEK PHILIP HUMS ON HIS GUITAR
ASHWINI MALIK (Story screenplay and Dialogues)
After studying English literature in college and training in Film Direction at Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Ashwini Malik worked extensively for television, writing, producing and directing several shows. Clever & Lonely (2002), his first feature as director, was shown at several film festivals across the world. Since 2004, he has been involved in teaching Screenwriting, first at FTII, Pune and now at Whistling Woods, Mumbai. In 2006, he wrote the dialogue for Onir’s Bas ek Pal. He is currently preparing to shoot his next directorial venture Kill Chhabra, the screenplay of which he has himself written.
Statement:
Perhaps because I come from one myself, close-knit families have always fascinated me. Families where love is unquestioned and unconditional, no matter what conflicts may be playing out within the family. Throw a moral dilemma into such a family and it becomes irresistibly delicious stuff for a writer.
The situation of a good, morally upright young man falling in love with his brother’s fianc'©e is fraught with tremendous possibility – for drama as well as humour. Perhaps that is what led to the conception of this story in my mind in the first place. Sorry Bhai! is an ambitious film – it pushes the limits of relationships, yet aspires to be thoroughly enjoyable at the same time. If at all it succeeds in achieving this, credit must go to Onir’s sensitivity and lightness of touch as a director. I’m grateful not just for his contributions to the script but also for the respect he accords writing.
Even if I say so myself, I think Sorry Bhai! has turned out to be that rare thing – a stimulating fun film that you can enjoy – and and not be embarrassed to admit it!
SACHIN (Director of Photography)
Sachin studied at the Scindia school, Gwalior….a period during which he, developed a fascination for things ‘visual’. The school is located in the extremely picturesque fort of Gwalior, and seeped in history. The evening prayers at the open air Amphitheatre , called the ‘astachal’, used to leave him spellbound…with the huge red sun setting behind a beautifully crafted statue of Gandhiji’s.
One such evening saw a Mumbai film unit arrive and capture the images on their huge, awe inspiring cameras. Maybe subconsciously, it was then that he knew where he belonged. He graduated in journalism from the Delhi college of arts and commerce, after which he immediately joined the film and television institute of India, Pune.
Once there, He realized that he was one of the fortunate few who was about to make his passion, his profession. After an intoxicating (and more often than not, intoxicated) three years of sheer cinema and fun, joined the big bad world of the Mumbai film industry.
Though intimidated at first at the sheer prospect of being able to touch the very cameras that he almost used to own in the FTII…He eventually found his feet here, and did some very interesting work as a DP in visually acclaimed teleseries like ‘kagaar’, ‘haqeeqat’, and ‘dhadkan’. He turned independent with Vaastu Shaastra, and have been shooting features ever since.
Sachin has been the DOP of films like Vaastu Shaastra(sourabh narang, 2004)
The Blue Umbrella( vishal bharadwaj, 2005), Bas Ek Pal ( onir, 2005),
Just Married(meghna gulzar, 2006), Khoya Khoya Chand(sudhir mishra, 2006)
Dus Kahaaniyaan( meghna gulzar, 2007), Tera Kya Hoga Johnny (sudhir
mishra, 2007), Mumbai Cutting( sudhir mishra, 2007), Sorry Bhai( onir, 2008)
STATEMENT :
Always look forward to working with Onir in particular for the sheer sense of calm, control, and class that he shoots his films with. If anybody out there feels that ‘bollywood’ is that godforsaken jungle populated by vile animals, he’s most welcome to see just a day of how we shoot in onir’s unit. and the misconception will stand corrected.
My experience on ’sorry…’ was just as I had expected it to be, having shot a film for onir earlier. when the film started, and when it finished, i could not even feel.
shooting features, specially as a DP, is a nightmare, for the sheer logistics that one has to go through…but when i shoot a film with onir, the experience actually leaves me rejuvenated. of course, the fact that we shot sorry in the stunningly beautiful Mauritius…helped to make things even better.
IRENE DHAR MALIK (Film Editor)
After completing her Master’s in English literature from Calcutta University, Irene trained in Film Editing at Film & Television Institute of India (FTII). She has edited several television serials, documentaries and features including Prakash Jha’s Lok Nayak, Ashwini Malik’s Clever & Lonely, and Onir’s Bas ek Pal, for which she also co-wrote the screenplay.
Irene also reviews films at www.4indianwoman.com, a San Jose based website.
Statement:
Sorry Bhai! has been great fun to edit because the story was something that I could relate to, having two brothers myself, one of them incidentally a scientist like Siddharth in the film. It was also fun to edit a film that I have always been closely associated with and watch the characters come to life. It is nice to edit scenes enacted by actors who have got into their characters so well, where almost every take is an OK and you have to choose the best. It was great to be a part of a team where everyone’s contribution is appreciated and I think it shows in the final product. Sorry Bhai! rocks.
ARUN NAMBIAR – SOUND DESIGN
Arun completed his Diploma in Cinema specializing in Sound recording & Sound engineering ( FTII , Pune ) after having done Bachelor of Science ( Physics major) from the University of Calicut . His major film work includes Alibaba and 41 Thieves (under production) , Sorry Bhai ! , Dil Kabaddi(under post production) Sankat City
( under post production ) Bhram (2008) Bas Ek Pal(2006 ) My Brother Nikhil (2005 )
Dansh (2005)Darna Mana Hai (2003 )Jajantaram Mamantaram (2003)Road (2002 )
Chhal ( 2002 )Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar ( 2000 )Jayate ( 1998 ) and others. He received the
Filmfare award for the best sound of 2002(ROAD)
STATEMENT
The Sound designing of ‘Sorry Bhai’ evolved as the post production progressed and the frequent interactions I was having with Onir . The most interesting aspect of the script in terms of sound was that some of the crucial scenes are set on beaches and waterfronts. I am a great fan of the sound designing of Tom Hanks’ ‘Castaway’, where most of the films’ emotion was created through the use of sea waves. My team of sound editors scanned through our entire sound effects library and selected sea sounds appropriate for the varying mood of the scenes. Since it was a dubbed film , we had to sync each and every sea wave to the visual. We got so carried away that we even laid sea sounds during the song sequences, which is a big taboo in a conventional Hindi film sound design . When Onir heard it , he loved the idea of having ambience track along with the song and we went ahead and mixed it like that. This treatment really helped in creating a believable space around the characters and not isolating them from the space when a song started.
As always , it has been a pleasure working with Onir , Sanjay and the rest of the cast, Sachin, Irene, Vivek, Gaurav,Amitabh and the other crew members .
GAURAV DAYAL(Music Composer)
Gaurav has been producing music professionally since 1998. After completing a Degree in Computer Engineering from Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune, Gaurav launched off in the Biz with a Massive Multi Platinum hit ‘Dil Le Gayee Kudi’ sung by Jasbir Jassi. Gaurav then got busy setting up a state of the art Studio for which over the years he has acquired the best recording and music production equipment. After Jassi’s first, hit another hit ‘Kudi Kudi’ followed suite within the span of a year. Gaurav was now producing tracks and giving music for the who’s who of the industry and again gave Mika a career uplifting hit ‘Gabru’. Now Gaurav was being sought after by all the major music companies and he did multi projects and remixes for the likes of Sony Music, Virgin Records, Times Music, Music Today, and recently has given Shael Oswal a hit “Nachle Soniye” Gaurav has also recently broken into composing for films, his first film being “Salaam India” starrring Sanjay Suri, getting good reviews for its music all over. He is now doing more projects where he is doing the main music as well as the background score. Although computers play an essential role today in recording, Gaurav is maintaining to work “old school” and trying to keep his music as organic as possible. His forthcoming releases feature songs sung by Rabbi, Shubha Mudgal, Sonu Nigam, Shibani Kashyap, Naresh Iyer, Jassi, Laab Jhanjua etc. He is excited about a new project which is a Multi Album, in the Sufi- Punjabi genre, featuring Hip Hop, R’nB, and House styles of Music, sung by the likes of Meet Malkit, Jassi, Shubha Mudgal, Nidhi Kohli, etc. For Gaurav this is a showcase for his style of Dance Music, influenced and mixed with Punjabi vocals. Gaurav has not limited himself to musicians and artists from Mumbai and Delhi alone, he often travels to New York, which he calls his second home, for the western arrangements and vocals/Rap. “Listening to the radio channels in NYC really inspires me to think differently, I love the soul/Jazz and funk music that plays there on the radio. The city just re- invents me to create differently”. Look out this winter for Gaurav’s Punjabi Hip Hop/Dance CD showcasing a fresh sound to rock the nation.
STATEMENT :
I was introduced to Onir at the industry screening of a small film I had scored last year, by Sanjay Suri. Being a fan of BEP and MBN, I was really excited when Onir asked me to pass on my Demo CD to him. I went back to Delhi and got a call from Onir a couple of days later. He wanted to meet up . I was extremely excited and nervous at the same time. I had sent him some very barebone scratches of melody and basic arrangement. I had no clue about the industry norm of presenting demos to Directors. Onir met me and said that he wanted 2 tracks from my demo CD. I was completely surprised and very excited at the aspect of getting a break with Onir , who had presented the best and most selling music from both his films. I kept sending Onir more and more demos, till one day he asked if i would like to do the entire music for his upcoming film “Sorry Bhai” (then titled “My Brother’s Bride”). This was an unbelievable break! During the process of finalizing the melodies and lyrics, Onir was very involved and did’nt want to compromise on anything. In fact there was a Jazz song requirement for the film, and he wanted it to be extremely authentic… So I went to New York City to record singer ” Nanette Natal “, who is a known jazz vocalist. To maintain authenticity , we even recorded the drums, double bass and piano in NYC. I was very excited because I got to play a real Steinway Piano at the studio there. I then completed the arrangements and production of the four tracks, and went back to New York again for the Mastering of the soundtrack. At this time Onir also selected some tracks from the hundreds of demos i sent him (yes he is very hard to please LOL!!) and gave me his next project , which he was doing as a producer titled “Kill Chhabra”. So I ended up being a very lucky guy getting a double break from a fabulous filmmaker. Onir always understood my comfort of working from my own studio in New Delhi, and never forced me to move to Mumbai, In fact he kept flying to Delhi, so that I could work freely without any pressure.
VIVEK PHILIP (Music composer – Title song and Background Music)
Vivek composed the scores for such films as the animated Over the Hedge, Undertaking Betty, Love and Hate, Hotel Rwanda (for which he won a European Composer Award), The Night We Called it a Day, Crime Spree, What a Girl Wants, Plots With a View, Urban Ghost Story, Thunderpants and Virtual Sexuality. He has also contributed additional music and/or served as conductor or music producer on such projects as King Arthur, Storm, The Road to Eldorado, Antz, Prince of Egypt, Muppets from Space and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.
He was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition for “Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story,” and has composed for such other television projects as “Long Way Round,” “Second Nature,” “William and Mary,” The Last Detective,” “My Beautiful Son,” “Strange Relations,” “Hawk,” “Princess of Thieves,” “Take a Girl Like You,” “Happy Birthday Shakespeare,” “At Home With the Braithwaites,” “Extremely Dangerous” and “Shockers: Dance.”
STATEMENT
Having had the lovely experience of making music for Onir’s ‘My Brother Nikhil’ and ‘Bas Ek Pal’, it is my misfortune to not have been available for his latest film ‘Sorry Bhai’ due to some other work commitments. However, its turned out best for Onir, as music director Gaurav has produced some really cool songs for the film. Anyway, to cut a long story short, while Sorry Bhai shooting was going on in Mauritius, I heard that Onir was looking for a title song for the film; so thats when i jumped onto the bandwagon… or should i say, gate-crashed my way in… and ended up making the Sorry Bhai song.
Its always pleasant to be in any work environvent that involves Onir. I hav bragged a lot about him in the past so I’ll skip the praises this time 
But I want to commend the inputs of my co-workers on the song… arranger- Saurabh, lyricist- Amitabh, singers- KK, Sunidhi, Abhishek, Suzanne, Dean, Francois, musicians- Pawan, Woody, Saurabh, and mixing engineer- Eric. Working on this song was an interesting as well as challenging experience, as it was my first attempt at producing a song with a modern Hiphop-RnB sound. As its the fad these days, some people have tried pointing out that the song sounds like this song or that or whatever. But then most songs in this genre tend to sound like each other. Overall the feedback has been very positive and encouraging.
Then there was Sorry Bhai’s background score. I think most people dont realize that producing background music for mainstream feature films involves a lot more brain-wracking, hard work and patience, than for songs. I was fortunate to get Cal-based composer-arranger Raja to work with me on the background music. Thanks to his amazing talent and dedication, I could take the liberty of going out in the middle of every night looking for idlis and cigs, while he hammered away at the buttons and keys in my home-studio. Mixing the music with the cucumber-cool Sanil and sound-designer Arun was a pleasant experience as well, despite Onir’s persistent PJs from the back row. We worked our butts off, but we had fun.
My congrats to Onir and all the cast and crew for a fine film. Cheers!
AMITABH VARMA (Lyrics)
Amitabh is a film maker trained in film editing from the film and Television Institute of India (FTII). In the last one decade apart from editing, he has also been writing screenplays, dialogues and songs for films and television. He has just completed work for the film ANTARDWANDWA for screenplay, dialogues , lyrics writer and also the associate director
Some of the films he has written the dialogues for are NAINA for and MY BROTHER NIKHIL. He have also written songs for films like METRO, BAS EK PAL, ANKAHEE, EK KHILADI EK HASEENA, MY BROTHER NIKHIL, CHHAL, HUMRAHI, FUNTOOSH, 99.9FM, DHOL,UGLY AUR PAGLI. DON MUTTHU-SWAMI, and SORRY BHAI!
STATEMENT :
Working with Onir has always been a pleasure. I started with assisting Onir when he was an editor. I assisted him on several projects. It is Onir who gave me a break as a lyricist in the music album ARIA that he produced. He then produced two more albums called PYAR KI DHUN and THE COMPLETE BHUPEN HAZARIKA. When ONIR made MY BROTHER NIKHIL I was given the responsibility of writing the dialogues as well as the lyrics for the film. Ever since then I have been a part of all ONIR’S projects. I wrote the songs for BAS EK PAL. And now SORRY BHAI!
Sorry Bhai! was a difficult film to make. It is about how a girl who falls for her fianc'©e’s younger brother who has come to attend their wedding. I watched the film recently in a preview show and loved it.
I am now gearing up to make my own film.
SIDDHARTA DUTTA(Publicity design)
Bio:
Siddhartha Dutta is the typical boring example of an advertising professional – the archetypal, temperamental rebel. A mathematics graduate, he joined advertising to become a Copywriter only to discover his interest in Art Direction and Graphic Design. In the 12 years that he has been in advertising, he has juggled with many different roles, products, brands, campaigns and people quite successfully.
In 2006, he designed the look for Onir’s Bas ek Pal and thus embarked on yet another journey of self-discovery. He continues to be in advertising, as well as experiment with design as and when eclectic opportunities come up.
STATEMENT:
When I first began reading the script (and that was long before the shoot started), certain pictures began painting themselves in my mind, and over the next few days, no matter how hard I tried, I could not wipe the canvas clean. That’s when I realised that the only way I could rid myself of them was to shoot, print and put them up king-size for public viewing.
White. Aquamarine. A distant yatch. A tiny island almost merging with the horizon. Chitrangda all dressed in white, pondering. Sharman and Sanjay surrounding her, while Boman and Shabana share a private joke.
There was this urge to capture these moments in time, just as they were – unguarded, natural and very true to what Sorry Bhai! is like. Unashamedly real.
I am glad that both Onir and Sanjay saw it the same way and even suggested some nice touches that made the designs even better.
The journey has been interesting; the destination, even better!
NIKHIL S KOVALE (Art Director)
BIO :
Apart from “SORRY BHAI” Nikhil has also worked as the Art Director of “HELLO ZINDAGI”, Directed by: Mr. Raja Unnithan, (Due to release), Art Director for Film ‘Chingari ‘ Directed by Ms.Kalpanaji G Lazmi. (2005-2006), Art Director for Marathi film “KALAM 302” produced and Directed by Mr. Vipin Nandurdukar. (Released and was nominated for best Art Direction for Zee Alpha Gaurav Awards 2005-2006)
STATEMENT :
The brief for the art director was simple…. The houses should look like lived in and bring in a characteristic of the person living in it. While looking for the correct location we were taken to this huge mansion called “EUREKA house” where lots of films have been shoot. We looked into the grand house. It was awesome but somehow I was not happy. This did not look like a place someone would live in. as we wandered around the house we stumbled on the house where Jack the owner lived. It just seemed so perfect. But he lived in that house. I think the combined effort of Ravneet’s (production executive) Azaan and Mukesh Udeshi got us the location. The house was a lived in house and has a lot of character. What we did was to prop it up with artifacts which could belong to Harsh( whose house it is supposed to be)
The one thing exciting thing we made for the film which Onir want to keep in his office for good is the dog whom Sid(Sharman) calls EINSTEIN in the film. Its supposed to be a flying dog and has the most endearing face possible.
We mostly shot in real location and that gives the film a real look. The only set we built was the dressing room for a special reason. But that too we shot in Mauritius. We had decided that be it a bathroom or any indoor shot we would not cheat. We would do everything that was supposed to be Mauritius in Mauritius. And later we made another set at Mukesh mills for the Title song.
The film manages to capture life in Mauritius in a very realistic manner. As a part of the design we had a mixed local crowd at every public location we were shooting at. Also we used a lot of French in the film. The locals do not suddenly start to talk in Hindi.
Working with Onir made my job easy as a director as he had tremendous amount of clarity of what he wanted for every scene. As a technician, his clarity helped me to think openly and create the spaces as required.
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DreamSellers, Exclusive, Movies
93 Responses to “TEAM SORRY BHAI! SPEAKS….”
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@ Onir
Thanks for introducing your team to us.
@ The Team of Sorry Bhai
Quite interesting to read your thoughts on the movie.I’m keen to watch it.Of course one major reason if I were to admit would be Chitrangada’s return
@ Sethumadhavan.Thank . whatever the reason as long as you see the film I am happy
Chitrangadas THE hottest bollywood actress ever
i saw her for 2 mins in the promos and ive been blown away by her
hope to see MUCH more of her
Onir,
You have one talented team. Based on some of the films that come out of Bollywood one would think the team is not as committed to their job as it should be. This is a turn off.
But lately there are a lot of good films and I guess it is teams like yours that are making it all happen.
After a long time I will consider watching 2 films on the same day – Sorry Bhai and Lucky Oye (if they are both released in the theater here in Chicago).
Thanks to PFC also, otherwise Sorry Bhai would certainly have fallen under the radar for me.
Best of luck with Sorry Bhai!!
@Deep Blue… yes I feel lucky to have such a committed and talented team. Hopefully the film is going to release in Chicago. I am also looking forwards to watching OLLY. Thanks for your wishes.
@vivek…. yes this time she is back for good:)
nicely done post…got to know about some really talented people working behind the scenes……..
Sorry Bhai looks promising……but sadly the promos or the songs are missing from Tv considering the release just two weeks later…saw a small part of coverage on a Star News show…..thats it……..
maybe in the coming week the promotion will gain momentum….
@ ashwini malick…
liked ur statement..especially the family part…
the term ‘family drama has been demonised by the K serials and some weep sagas of Bollywood. i get the feeling that Sorry Bhai might have the hrishikesh Mukerjee influence…..
*i have this knack of thinking of new stories. But somehow i never wrote those due to my belief that i am a terrible writing skills. I have started writing lately and its been really difficult to put my thoughts into words and do justice to them. i wanna ask u one thing. are writing skills inherent. i mean is someone a born writer or it can be developed. i feel terribly disappointed whenever i am not able to translate my thoughts into words.
@ sachin…
just wanted to say that i completely loved ur work in The Blue Umbrella…one of my most fav films…..
@Ashwin…. I was unhappy with the quality of transfer of the promos so we reduced the frequency … tech problem. will be full on from Sunday…
Thanks for the introduction Onir! Great to know the team. Now I can recognize them as I see them on credits for other movies as well. Eagerly awaiting the movie!!
@Sarang….Thanks
ONIR!!
Thanks a lot for a wonderful post about the film I am really looking forward to. Thanks for introducing spine of your film, i.e. all team.
If possible, can you also post reactions/statements of Cast. Would really love to read their views too! If it is possible, please!
All the best for film!!
Hi Onir, looking forward for your movie, all the best!
@hemanthks…. thank you
@32…. I will soon hav a post with the cast views
Onir, you said the music would be out…but I don’t think it is. When will it be out? I really love the music in your films. I am looking forward to seeing Sharman in the film (apart from chitrangada ofcoz!). He is a very talented actor.
Please have the actors drop in here as well.
Hope this film is a hit!
Ritha
@ Ashwin… thanks. As a teacher of Screenwriting I can assure you that Screenwriting is an acquired skill and can be learnt and developed. The two things you need to become a screenwriter are: a deep interest in stories and a willingness to really slog! Screenwriting is very hard work but if you wish to learn, you can either do a course or learn the craft on your own by reading and analysing screenplays and writing stories. Even the best writers find it tough to translate thoughts into words, so don’t feel disappointed. Just keep at it.
@ Ashwini- Nice to see you here. Hope you write some posts or comments. They are many aspiring writers here who can learn from you.
Thanks
Hey thats really great to see the people behind the scenes..good work..dedicated lot..headed by the captain of the ship.
hey …
this one is directed to ASHWINI MALIK.
Hi just read ur statement about developing a story about relations in a close-knit family and adding an immoral twist to give it drama per se. What i would like to know is how challenging or how unique can a treatment be keeping in mind that :-
A) indian audiences easily relate to close family ties
B) and drama in bollywood is a ruling genre so grabbing the attention with such a twist is hitting the nail
BUT at the same time can u with your screenplay make them accept such a situation openly ?
coz tho KJO’s KANK was a badly treated subject, it was treading on delicate lines as such and wasnt accepted by the audience. they could not digest the husband or the wife walking away from a relation. similarly ram gopal verma’s Nishabd, people could not digest an older man looking for excitement or life in a younger woman.
both movies mentioned above have different TG ( target audience) but both failed to impress where the treatment of the subject mattered
Sorry Bhai too is a very delicate subject as we percieve it to be but do u feel that it depends on the screenplay or it also depends on the audience’s acceptance ??
looking forwrd for ur reply
Nice one Onir. To bring forth your team memebers’ say too.
All the best for this film and beyond to all…
@ ashwini
thanx for the reply…it was really encouraging……
i have this weird theory that i think will apply to sorry bhai as well.. if you make the movie and promote it the right way, the film WILL find its target audience. every movie has one, whether or not they come out in throngs to watch it and make it a super duper hit is a different matter altogether, but the audience exists. with this film, they might come for chitrangada, but they’ll stay for the film.
btw.. meant that for those who’re asking if this film will have an audience since it has a controversial angle to it..
Good gesture onir by introducing your team…more than all, I am happy to find sachin from “DCAC Journo”…will surely love to catch up with him sometime as I too come from same place. Rest as ever…best wishes
Onir,
You’ve assured yourself at least one ticket from me by picking Chitrangada for the film
She has never looked so stunning before…brilliant promos! So vulnerable and so in command.
Onir..a truckload of FTII grads..nice to see..all the best..AGAIN!!
6 tickets assured here.
So, it’s an Ashwini Malik script
keenly awaiting this one. best wishes to the team.
Onir – thanks for introducing your creative team. It’s nice of you to bring to focus the talented people who you work with. I was particularly pleased knowing more about Vivek and Amitabh who I thought did such wonderful work in MBN. Le Chale is such an evocative number and one of the few songs in the last few years where everythings falls in place so perfectly. And yes, I am looking forward to Gaurav’s music as well. Our best wishes for the weeks ahead.
@Ritha… the music should be out latest by the 15th.
@Arthi …. thanks
@Striker… WORDS OF WISDOM
@Ullhas… what a shame at least u should take a couple of your friends :0
@Indraneel… Thats the way to go…Ullas… please follow good example
@Subrat… thank you for your wishes…
Yesterday, when i read this i started to look for the music, since BEP is my all time favorite(Thanks Vivek Philip a lot), but unfortunately didnt find anything on it. Tried googling on the music release date, still no news. Better get it from horse’s mouth, let us know when its going to release.
Chitrangada(i still get the chills from the role she played in hazaar khawaish…., she was too amazing, and i am pretty sure she would do a very decent job in this movie as well).
I like the fact that there are so many good, talented people working in the industry. My respect for people working in the background increased manifold, thanks Onir for bringing them up.
Best of luck for the movie!!!!! Would definetely watch.
ho onir, how r u?
your promos are catching very quickly here(GHAZIABAD(u.p.))….i have came across atleast 40 people who are quite excited about SORRY BHAI , but almost everybody is asking one question…”is it going to hit the halls in ghaziabad or perhaps noida?”
All the best for SORRY BHAI
Onir, introducing the behind the scenes team is an innovative idea, these are the guys the audiences never learn about. However, at PFC you’ll find a lot of people will be eager to know about them, and would also like to interact with them.
I remember when I met you in Delhi in May you were engrossed in recording the music score of Sorry Bhai. I’m sure you must be relieved that it’s all over now and are looking forward to it’s release. All the best, once again.
@ brattycookie. Tough question! But let me attempt an answer… I feel that while writing one mustn’t get weighed down by audience expectation. It’s a negative approach, trying to gauge whether the audience would ‘accept’ something. Not only is it unfair to the characters in the story to be burdened by audience expectation, but to the audiences too because they will end up watching a contrived story. As a writer one must stay true to the characters. The challenge for the writer (and subsequently the director and the actors) is to understand and empathize with the characters so deeply that the audience too connects with them and sees them as human beings, and therefore empathizes with them instead of judging them. This empathy for the characters is what we tried to achieve in Sorry Bhai! If we have succeeded then I would like to believe that audience acceptance will not be a problem.
@ Smriti. Thanks for your wishes.
@gony dhoni. hey the music will be out on the 15th/16th of nov…. so hold ur breath. and it has one song by Viveck who has also done the background music for the film….
thanks for your wishes… enjoy the film
@Priyank… thats nice to hear. well Noida definately and most likely Gaziabad too. Thanks for your wishes
@aRUN Prakesh…. actually the process of making the film is engrossing but not stressful as one is doing something that one likes doing and enjoying every moment…. its now that I am far from relieved …. and it’s far from being over…. this is the most stressfull part of filmmaking…. at least for me.
thanks ashwini –
quote unquote
“This empathy for the characters is what we tried to achieve in Sorry Bhai! If we have succeeded then I would like to believe that audience acceptance will not be a problem.”
well to answer my question this was enough that no matter how difficult is the subject or how delicate is the issue if u treat ur script and characters with pure honesty and justice then it should connect and reach the audience
so lesson learnt to all us writers here is BE TRUE TO YOUR SCRIPT!
wat say onir ?
Hi Onir… the team looks so impressive that I immediately wanted to pick them up for my film, had everybody given their cell nos as well. May be I could get in touch with them thru you… hope you wouldn’t mind to give this support. Great team… All the best!!!
Onir,
I needed a personal favor from u. i had a pal called deepti nagia who knew u too. i am wondering if u still r in touch with her. i was trying to get in contact with her.
any ideas on how i would be able to reach her.
@brattycookie…. i totally agree with what Ashwini has to say. for me when I wrote my brother Nikhil i was thinking abolut how my characters would act and feel and not how the audiences would accept/reject them. if i had done that probably i would have never managed to make the film
@Gajendra…. am sure the team will be delighted. thank you for ur wishes. mail me at anticlockfilms@gmail.com if you ever need anything. will forward the releveant no’s
@sharath…. sorry i had lost my mobile and I do not have her contact details with me…. lost touch
No B/W Pics of CHITRANGDA? U let me down , Onir!!!!
On a serious note, u look like a complete team man. Reallly admire you!
@shreyansh that will be in the post about the Cast… here pl let the crew have their due
and thanks…. my team makes me:)
@ Onir @ 46 – Spoke like a true “Captain of the ship”.
To make the article more interesting, u could have added some conversations with the crew, or share with us if u had any differnces of opinion with them and how did u resolve it.
Will wait 4 d pics though…
neel219@gmail.com
Hey Onir –
The title song ‘Sorry Bhai’ seems to be a copy of the Justin Timberlake song ‘What goes around comes around’.
@sriram.. Haha.. yeah it once did remind me of that JT song too. But you use a strong word – “copy”. Ssshhhh! Well if youre not a fan of JT then im sorry bhai you wont like this song
Strange that im not a fan of JT…
Ok.. vague jokes apart… When the cd comes out i suggest you listen to both songs back to back at most a hundred and twenty seven times (Please buy the cd, not download). Then lets have a tete-a-tete over dharu n dinner to figure if any similarities you heard are enough to qualify as a “copy”. If youre wrong you will foot the bill, ok?
(Im so broke that the prospect of free dharu n dinner makes me so happpeeee
)
Vivek –
Onir!! LOL.. Its 4 a.m. and im laughing my ass off here! Where did you get that bio on me? It makes for impressive reading but its supposed to be highly classified info…lol. What will my Mom think if she comes to know that i scored music for films like – What a girl wants, Virtual Sexuality, and Thunderpants!?
I know you like that photo a lot but why repeat it thrice? You dont like my pic with the ‘Frank Zappa’ look? The girls love it
Very nice page bro. Thanks.
Onir, wanted to let you know if you search for sorry bhai on youtube, you get the songs from the movie…
@Vivek… am glad that u logged in to reply.i put ur pic three times as this is the third film we are working together…. LOL
@Ritha… yes just got to know about it. wondering how its out since the cds are still no out
Thanks Onir… would like to share my script with you when i’m done and prepared to take the plunge. I’m sure “Sorry Bhai” is gonna ROCK!!!
after seeing those snaps, and all the comments, i will be watching first day:) thts for sure!
Thanks Anand
@Anand Thanks
did Gaurav dayal the MD also score music for rabbi’s second album..cos one song “Jalte hain” playing on TV(the yacht one) sounds exactly like Rabbi’s Ballo..heard them both..and exact same tune..hope m not nitpicking cos m a huge Rabbi fan..
@Praneet , Hi, I did score “Ballo” too, maybe my chord structures sound similar in both my tracks. But would disagree for the tune.. BTW Rabbi’s “Ballo” is more soft spoken than sung to a tune.. Am a huge fan of Rabbi too, and had great fun working on that record too..
Cheers,
G
ya chords sound the same.. arngmnts r different..Ballo for me is the best track on AJN..and the song instantly striked as familiar while watchin the promo..good wrk on AJN
@Praneet, Hey thanks!
Hi..Onir
i was very impressed with “Bas ek pal” specially the way the story unfolds.The film was full of surprises.
But today i got a shock to know that it was a copy of “Live flesh”.I am really sad
@ onir…. liked ur MBN…. liked ur interaction with us at wwi and now eagerly awaiting SB… especially since it is written by ashwini sir… wish you good luck….!
@ ashwini malik…. wat to write sir….!!! wish all the good luck to you….! u ROCKKK!
Hi Gaurav,
Would ’score for Ballo’ mean you composed the music for the number? And frankly, the only way ‘jalte hain would have sounded more similar would be for rabbi to sing it in Punjabi. I thought this movie was a great oppurtunity for you to showcase more originality.
@Bharat
I have from the beginning accepted that it was an inspirstion. was too much in love with the concept.wanted to see it in the indian context. have always admitted it that it was not correct and a would be my first and last inspired work
Dear Onir,
Got a chance to see “Sorry Bhai” yesterday. To be very honest with you, I was a little apprehensive from the outset since there was a risk of Manik Babu’s Charulata seeping into your film. Though the film’s subject would be novel for most non-Bengali audiences, this isn’t really the case for Bengali audiences.
Having seen it now, I am happy to note that my fears have been allayed. I really liked the film, especially the subtlety in the initial phase of the relationship. Reminded me a bit of Wong Karwai’s “In the Mood for love” – a film which I greatly admire. Also, like the bold turn the film takes and the liberal light in which you have shown the parents.
My GF thought the sex was unnecessary but I beg to differ. It was the inciting incident and also a crescendo that the film emotionally builds up to.
I thought you went a little overboard with the voiceovers for what the characters were thinking. If it had been used sparingly, it would have been nice, but right now, it is too on the nose for me and takes away from the subtlety I was talking about earlier.
Technically speaking (I am a film student after all, you know!), the cinematography is very simple and yet effective. It was almost like watching Mauritius for the first time, completely different from the glamor glasses of “Bollywood”, real, yet beautiful. The editing was very very good I thought. There was this one part where there is a not-so-happy conversation taking place, and the editor cuts back to a wide shot from the OTS’. It seems like it was done to draw in some beats and it worked perfectly.
Shabanaji steals the show IMO, but Boman is terrific with his one-liners. Sanjay doesn’t have much lines but is effective. I thought casting Sherman was a great idea and he played the nerdy, looserish scientist to the T. I am a big fan of Chitrangada, but I think some scenes of hers, especially when she breaks down, could have been done better. FYI, I thought the same about her extreme emotional scenes in HKA.
Great work Dada! Please continue in your quest to conform parallel and mainstream Indian cinema and let me know if you need an AD or Assistant Camera or Assistant Editor in 2 years time
.
Regards,
ArSENik
Onir,
I just watched the movie this evening (for two reasons: I liked the promos, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to stare at Chitrangada for two hours). I haven’t seen your earlier films, but after this, I shall make an attempt to. What I liked most about the movie is the fact that you resisted the temptation to make it an all out Priyadarshan style farce. It is a theme that is funny in itself (I wrote something along those lines here – http://imamwapsoro.blogspot.com/search/label/Love%20Theme%20in%20RitiGowla), but provides great scope for drama, and I’m glad that you decided to exploit both…
Eagerly wait for your next movie!
@Vivek… am answering partly because Gaurav is in Newyork. we won the case in High court as the songs were heard by the judge and there were more differences than similarities…. plus… Bollo song is a copy of a spanish song “Ayesha”
@Arsenik….. thank you for such a detailed reaction. for me too the love making was the turning point…. the point of no return…. of course a moronic reviewer says” do not see the film because its un- indian and you should not spend money to watch SIN unfold itself on screen” moral policing…. disgusting…
hey thanks for ur offers to assist
@aandhthirtyeight…. Thnaks and will be happy to hear ur views on my earlier films
This is the first time I’ve seen the guys behind the screen speak and I loved it.
Onir and co you’ve done a great job with “sorry bhai” and it was great to know about the stories behind the film like the Jazz song one
I’ve shared my take here http://tr.im/1u2f
Cheers!!
hi onir, i enjoyed your film very much ….its was refreshing change….a great direction but personally i feel there could be a much more attractive script..nways mine creativity is satisfied.
one thing more please check youtube ..whole movies is available there.
@Forced ambition. Thanks for ur comment. will read ur take
….
@Priyank…. i know the whole movie is on u tube and pirated dvd’s everywhere…. there is nothing one can do
I absolutely loved ‘Sorry Bhai’. I watched it last night and am still in it or it seems so ..each actor did great justice to their character and seems irreplacable. Its so pleasent to see a romantic comedy from bollywood withour raj and simran and mummyji-daddyji and few shaadi ka gaanas. Cant just wait to buy the dvd whenever it gets released.
@Meenaks…. Am glad you liked the film and buy the dvd:).
Here’s my review of the film –
Sorry Bhai is excellent! Refreshingly different from run of the mill, conventional love stories. I saw my own family in the family portrayed in the film – funny, loving, affectionate, always nagging each other! The love story is bold, but very powerful in its approach. Heartwarming performances from the entire cast, but special word of praise for Sharman Joshi. What an actor! He depicts the mental anguish, guilt, suppressed emotions with such sincerity, you feel his pain. And Sanjay has delivered his finest act till date during the climax confession scene, with genuine emotions of shock, anger but undying love for his brother. Just one complaint though, even though I understand that Chitrangada falls in love with Sharman, why does she start to pursue him with single minded determination without any sort of guilt? Its as if she has completely forgotten of her impending marriage to Sanjay.
Onir, please let us know when the DVD will be out. Kudos for you for taking a brave step to make this wonderful film.
@Sweta…. thank you for your comments. yes i like both Sharman n Sanjay(though he had a brief role, it was imp for me that he does it). I thought that the scene in the bathroom(Jazz club) kind of shows her confusion and guilt. But when she see’s him there she realises that he too feels the same.
also she tells her friend right in the beginning that she is not sure(even before she starts noticing Sharman)
I think she goes thru ups and downs in her feeling towards Harsh. just before the love making scene she tells him that she wants to be with him…. thats shows her confusion….
but maybe it was not clear enough ….. but thanks for ur feed back ….
Hi Onir
Thanks for your reply. Now that you say it, I can understand her scenes of confusion. But I think the scenes showing Sharman’s guilt conscience and mental conflict was more effective and visible.
Anyways, I loved the film as a whole. You are one of the few directors who attempts to make movies on interesting thought provoking concepts.
Just finished watching “Sorry bhai” – and its 3am. But couldn’t help but write on PFC about it.
Its awesome as awesome can be! I am so happy that while 2008 has been disappointment for big banner movies, the side-B movies (sorry bhai, to use the term, not sure if the term exists) are kicking a**! OLLO, Dasvidaniya, Rock On, and now this one!
Oh, how much I loved this movie, can’t tell you. I am going to watch it again, tomorrow.
Somehow the movie had skipped under my radar (though you got out of My Brother mode and renamed the movie, but Sorry Bhai …. hmmm … name sounds corny, and a far stretch for such gem of a movie).
All the performances were superb, and seeing CSingh for the first time, I was very eager to see the cast at the end of the movie (because I knew everyone else).
Sorry, haven’t seen your earlier movies, but will make it a point to watch. And sure, I can’t wait for DevD because CSIngh is in it.
Capturing emotion is something so tricky, and you have done it so beautifully – could relate to the dilemma, conflict of the characters!
The movie is a simple love story, gist can be summarised in prolly < 10 lines. Yet the entire execution is so effective and powerful, it keep you glued to the narrative till the end! That’s amazing filmmaking.
Rock on Onir, you have made me a lifelong fan!
@bollywoodplusplus. thank you for ur comments. Csingh by the way is not in Dev D… she will be there in Aur Devdas(sudhir Mishras). somehow because of the terror attack and a weak distrubition and back up system the film went unnoticed by many. hopefully ppl will get to see it on dvd n Tv/ its a very special film for me …but…. anyway hope u get to see my earlier films….
Onir, thanks for the clarification!
I am keeping my promise – am watching the movie all over again today. Wow, what performances!
And some of the deleted scenes, esp the last one, where she says, ’she’ll never marry or let him get married to any Sameera or Nafeesa’, thought that was cool. Wonder why it had to be in deleted scenes!
I surely will watch all of your earlier work. And make it a point to catch these movies in the theater when they are released. Not sure though, if ‘Sorry Bhai’ was distributed here (San Francisco) or not!
I believe in parallel cinema and make it a point to extend my support, so I think many of the PFC readers do. I watched OLLO in a theater here and enjoyed it much.
Unfortunately, for both you and Dibakar, the terror attack affected you guys little adversely. I just did a post on a mailing list I am part of, for everyone in the list to watch SB – I am sure people will fall in love with this movie and remember it as one made from the heart, by the heart and for the heart.
@bollywoodplus… actually i was not too keen on deletimg that scene… but overall reactions was we need to shorten the film, so i made some cuts…. thats the diff part, as a dir u are so attached to ur work. but today viewers are so impatient(too used to TV…i suppose) that they forget that each film needs its own pace.
Unfortunately i do not know if u will get to see my films a the theatre there, though My brother Nikhil was screened at Castro( i had come for the screening) what a lovely theatre and also in a couple of other theatres.
thanks for letting ur friends know about the film
Hi Onir Sir,
I really loved the film and this post is certainly very informative about the movie. I’m expecting the “Kaash” & “Labyrinth” to be even better. Would wait for the wonderful acting performances as well.
@Vivek
Thank you for your comments. am also looking forward to making those films….. hopefully soon.
yup. Sorry Bhai was flawless film , very well told man
Oh Come on N-E-D, I wouldn’t call it flawless!!!
i mean flawless in direction-considering its “incestuous” nature things,it was very well told. I never felt awkward even for a second.Songs felt like part of story and acting was top rated. I liked it a lot. Not masterpiece but very good film- a film to remember btw i am unaware about “inspiration” thing, if any.
Hi Onir
After having made a wonderful Nikhil, Sorry Bhai is not a let down…but, lacked the punch…I mean…Nikhil was deep, showed something which was close to the hearts….anyone would have expected your next to go inline with it…its like your mark/your way….woven with wonderful performances by underrated guys…somethin like that…
Waiting for ‘Kaash’…:)
And Onir…Ive seen many comments which were kind of disgusting……but, give those guys a real punch, I know you have good friends whom you can trust and come up with a gem once again….thanks mate…
@NED
Thanks for ypur comment and I know by that you do not mean literally “flawless”. even I do not have such a big head to start believing that. and the “inspiration ” thing…. am pretty tired of answering…. and no longer care about…. but i want u to believe hat its not!!!
@ Sridhar Mayur
Thanks…. MBN was a film of a different Genre, SB was a different much lighter film. I wanted to try this genre. but somehow for me its preety close to MBN in many ways, but yes not as emotionally potent…. Sridhar… all kinds of comments will always happen…. My work cannot be an answer to those. I do not need to punch anyone…. i enjoy my work, do it with love and honesty…. and the rest does not matter…. one has to make films not to prove anything to anybody…. but just from a need within…. but thanks mate for ur comment
@ Onir Sir,
Sir I’m looking forward to your next films. Sir if casting for forthcoming projects are not done, I would like to be part of your next projects. It will be an honour to work with you.
onir if looking for a new voice .someting different .do get in touch