Heart Land: It’s all over.

Finally, the shoot went off well despite all the problems. When I look back at it, it was a party with a few spoilers. Moreover, I made new friends and got to learn a lot. And that’s the most important thing.

The last few days were hectic enough for me not to get time to write my posts. Eventually, things went off well. The end result was good. There was a bit of confusion and fights regarding the payments. We were not paid 2 days before the shoot, but after the complete shoot – the day we were suppose to leave for Delhi. The money was transferred to our bank accounts and a confirmation code was given.

By the end of the shoot there was a bond between the American Crew and the Indian Crew. There was a party everyday, thanks to Siddharth, Urvashi & Vincent.

Things started badly and everything looked messed up. Some of us had problems with Sunny but even that got sorted. He was just misunderstood by almost everyone. What is most important is that by the end everyone was happy and content with the work done. There were no hard feelings for anyone. And, I got a 50% bonus.

The objective of me writing this blog is to share my experiences with my family and friends. After all I hardly get to see them. These posts potray my feelings and my conclusions at the time of writing. I do not intend to praise or condemn anyone. And, if I have, I am sorry but that’s how I feel and communicate.

Some working stills from the production:

Sound Department at Work

Pretending to Work: Aakriti & Paul

Vincent behind the Screen

Close to Vincent’s Special Place

Crowd management

Serious Discussion

What’s the next shot?

Where’s my Privacy?

We were suppose to get paid today but did not. The accountants forgot that it’s a Saturday and that the banks will close early. It may be an excuse but the fact remains that we did not get paid. Most of the crew started to get bothered. This was the first time we were working with these producers and we had only received a minimal signing amount. So, the crew decided not to shoot the next day. We resume shoot only if we get the money.

The shoot day ended and we reached the Hotel. Kawal was still at the location clearing things up. The local producers awaited him. I reached the hotel and went to the room. I was taking a bath when I heard my intercom and my mobile ringing. I was in the middle of my bath and did not bother answering the phones. Suddenly, I heard someone enter my room. It was Sandy, one of the PAs. He said that Amarjeet was calling me and I told him that I was taking a bath and would take 20 minutes. I also asked him as to how did he enter my room when I had locked my room from the inside. He said that my room was opened and he came in to check if I was there. It was a lie but I did not want to get into an argument. After my bath, I walked straight up to the security room and demanded to watch the security footage. Sandy had entered the room with a duplicate key. I went to the reception and demanded an explanation. They said that they were forced by the local producer to hand over a duplicate key to Sandy. Wow! I was taken aback. Where the hell is my privacy? I could not take this non sense anymore. I walked up to the producer and demanded an explanation. He came up with the weirdest of the lines – “I am paying for the rooms so I have the right to enter any room at any time”. I wished I had a lawyer – I would have sued him right there. He went on to explain that he felt that we were ignoring him and did not want to discuss. I told him he was wrong and that even that did not give him a reason to break into my room.

Kawal arrived after 20 minutes. We had an heated argument and explained that if they wish they can talk to the crew and explain to them the payment issue. After a long talk all was sorted, we were promised to be paid on the day of departure. As a backup, we did have all the sound files of the film with us.

But I was not going to forget the breaking in incident so easily. How could the Hotel let anyone enter my room without my prior permission. I wrote a complain, I also filled in a feedback form and sent it to the headquarters. Next time they better not repeat the mistake. Privacy is important, in fact the most important thing. One only has a limited space for himself during a film shoot. How dare someone invade it.