Mumbai5 minutes agoWriters: Kiran Jain and Abhinav Tripathi
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Dainik Bhaskar team reached Dharavi, Mumbai for the new episode of Reel to Real.
Asia’s largest slum Dharavi has a Bollywood connection. More than 150 films have been shot here including Agneepath, Gully Boy, Slumdog Millionaire, Mumbai Meri Jaan, Dhobi Ghat, Haseena Parker, Raman & Raghav and Bombay Talkies. When Ranveer Singh came to know that he would have to go to Dharavi to shoot for the film Gully Boy, he got confused. He was reluctant to shoot in the slums here.
A huge crowd gathers here to watch the shooting. To stop them, we have to take help from the locals instead of the security guards. At night, no security guard is afraid to guard here. If the locals here do not want, not even a single film can be shot. Their cooperation is very important.
Dainik Bhaskar’s team reached Dharavi in Mumbai for the new episode of Reel to Real, there we talked on these points…
- What is the process of shooting films here?
- Why do actors shy away from coming here?
- How are the locals here involved?
- How do the people here benefit from shooting films here?
For this, we spoke to two location managers Arun, Raja and Baburao Lad who has been running acting classes here for 40 years.
Location is searched at different places in Dharavi
Location manager Arun says, ‘Before the shooting begins, we get the script of the film. According to that, the shooting location is searched. This takes a lot of time. We have to go to different places in Dharavi to search for the location.
After doing recce for a few days and shortlisting 3-4 places, we inform the director about those shooting locations. Then the team goes to see them. For shooting at the locations that are locked, we take permission from the local police and BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation). After this, we start further work.
A location manager is a person who provides location to film makers for shooting at a particular place. There is a team for this. Arun runs a similar team called AK Creation. This team of 10 people provides locations in Dharavi as per the scenes of the films.
Actors do not want to work in a place like Dharavi
Arun also told that convincing actors to shoot at these places is the most difficult task. He said, ‘During the film Gully Boy, Ranveer Singh did not want to shoot here. He was afraid that the people here would not behave well with him.
So we talked to them along with the production team. We assured them that there will be no problem in shooting here. Only then did Ranveer agree to shoot. By the time the shooting was over, he had become quite friendly with the people of Dharavi.
There is no hotel facility for the actors to stay here, the crew members live in tents
There is no arrangement of any house or hotel for the actors to stay in Dharavi. All the actors use their vanity vans. On the other hand, tents are arranged for the crew members.
Apart from this, the production team looks after the food arrangements for the actors and crew members. And if any actor ever feels like eating special dishes, then Arun’s team provides that food.
A street in Dharavi is the first choice of many filmmakers
There is a lane in Dharavi called Makka Chawl. This lane has been shown in many movies. Arun told that movies like Gully Boy and Love Sonia have been shot in this lane. Also, promotional videos of reality shows like Dance India Dance have been shot here. Some scenes of Rajinikanth’s movie Kaala have also been shot here.
After the film Slumdog Millionaire, shooting increased in Dharavi
Arun says that after the shooting of Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire, films started being made on a large scale in Dharavi. Initially, the arrival of actors here was a big deal for the local people. They used to lose control on seeing film stars. However, all these things have changed in the last few years. Now it has become a normal thing for the locals to see actors. However, the same cannot be said for big actors.
Security guards are afraid to guard at night, they have to take help from local people to protect the set
Shooting films at night gives the locals a way to earn money. Security guards and bouncers from outside are afraid to come here, so the help of local boys is taken to protect the set at night. They stay awake all night and protect the set.
Location manager Raja Selvam said, ‘Anything can happen in Dharavi at any time. It is fine during the day, but at night even the security guards from outside are afraid to guard here. That is why we take help from the strong looking local boys here. In return, they are paid on a daily basis.
Apart from this, if there is any electricity related problem on the set, then the electricians from here are called. Apart from this, local people also come to clean the set. All of them are paid on daily basis.
The streets are so narrow that the camera cannot enter
Amitabh Bachchan also has a special connection with Dharavi. His 1990 film Agneepath was shot in Dharavi. Apart from this, his another film Bhootnath Returns was also shot in Dharavi.
There were many challenges during the shooting of Bhootnath Returns. The streets were so narrow that big cameras could not enter them. The camera was pulled on the roofs with the help of ropes, then the cameramen climbed up using a bamboo ladder, then the shooting took place.
A woman died at the shooting location. To clear the place, people there quickly removed the body
According to location manager Raja, the people of Dharavi are very cooperative. Once, the shooting of Farhan Akhtar’s film Toofaan was going on here. There was a lane in which a sequence of the film was to be shot. On the day the shooting was to take place, a woman living there died.
A lot of people gathered around. The production people had to shoot that part of the film that day at any cost. However, they could not do anything. When the family members of the dead woman saw the production team upset, they quickly got the body removed and cleared the place.
A man has been teaching acting to Dharavi children for free for 40 years
There is also an acting coach named Baburao Lad in Dharavi. He has been running acting classes here for the last 40 years. He told that people come from far and wide to learn acting from him. He charges acting fees from everyone else, but he has been teaching acting to the children of Dharavi for free for the last 40 years. Some of his students have gone very far. His students who once lived in slums are now living in luxurious houses.
Baburao has taught acting to 350 students from 85 countries so far. He has 11 channels on YouTube, one of which is named Film Duniya 86M. This channel has more than 1600 videos from which children can learn acting for free. He has also written a 550-page book on acting.
Currently, Baburao works as a casting director. Earlier, he was an artist supplier, after which he became an artist agent. He told that depending on the story of the films, he supplies people from newborns to old people for side roles.