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IN SYNC. To start with, Hollywood films don't dub the sound after the film is produced. They use "sync-sound," where the sound is recorded live. (In Bollywood, the sound is added later on.) With sync-sound, you have to record the sound properly as you're filming. We were able to get the right sound equipment and crew, but the air conditioning systems were so noisy that we couldn't record the sound clearly. We had to choose between sync-sound and air conditioning.
Given the fanatical emphasis on quality and creativity by director Rajeev Virani and associate producer Richard Martini, this would normally have been an easy decision, but this was the middle of summer, and temperatures were over 100 degrees outside and much higher inside with all the people and lighting.
Rajeev and Richard consulted with the actors and our producer, Brad Listermann, and made a joint decision that they wouldn't compromise on quality. So we ordered portable coolers that blow air over big slabs of ice that could be manually switched on between shots. It was as hot as hell, but everyone agreed that the show must go on.
A DIFFERENT LIGHT. The next challenge was the photography and lighting. We had imported a top cinematographer from Hollywood, but he quickly learned that he needed to adapt to the local way of doing things. John Drake had worked with such notables as Robert Duvall and Sandra Bullock, and filmed horror flicks like Hellraiser V. John didn't expect all the amenities of a Hollywood studio, but the Indian ways proved quite a culture shock. John asked for the same types of lighting, cranes, and filters that he was used to working with, but he received blank looks from the Indian staff. He also needed significant changes to the sets to optimize them for lighting. After a bit, it occurred to John that while in India, he would have to do as the Indians do.
So, John asked his Indian staff about the types of lighting and equipment they used and how it could be modified to meet his needs. He was amazed at the inventiveness of his team and the quality of the end product. They designed new types of lighting and had implemented major changes to the sets virtually overnight. John and his Indian team ended up developing a very high level of mutual respect and admiration.
The most surprising challenge was the lack of support from certain quarters. Most countries offer subsidies and incentives to attract filmmakers. True, we were bringing in money and expertise from abroad and developing a film that would bring India and its culture to the West in a very positive way, but with the world's largest film industry being already located in India, there's just no support structure for projects like ours. So despite Film City being a government undertaking, we were facing small obstacles. Unions decided to drop in and check whether were obeying every one of their rules, and contractors wanted to charge us two or three times their normal rates because we were a foreign production.
NIRVANA AT 30,000 FEET. Fortunately, we had great support from our Bollywood cast and crew, and Indian hospitality and values trump all. Our team had navigated the bureaucracy before and knew how to surmount almost any obstacle thrown at it. Yes, we had to increase our budget, but because we were starting from such a small base, that proved to be insignificant.
Despite all the perceived mayhem and chaos, we were clearly making a lot of progress. By the time I left, we were already 35% complete on film production, slightly ahead of schedule, and I flew home humming the theme song from our film, Dil Jala (My Aching Heart), and driving a Ferrari through the Swiss Alps (in my dreams).
Vivek Wadhwa has co-founded two technology companies, and is currently chairman of Relativity Technologies in Raleigh, N.C. When not producing movies or battling venture capitalists, Wadhwa mentors fledgling entrepreneurs. Edited by Alex Salkever
Vivek Wadhwa has co-founded two technology companies, and is currently chairman of Relativity Technologies in Raleigh, N.C. When not producing movies or battling venture capitalists, Wadhwa mentors fledgling entrepreneurs.
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