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| Tuesday, May 13, 2008 |
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8th may 2008
10:32 AM
My eyes open, I realize I have over slept. I barely manage to drag myself out of bed. I haven’t slept this long in a while. The last time I slept this long was when I was down with fever during postproduction of the film. Jannat is complete, the final copy is ready, and the previous night I had finished editing a version for Pakistan – “I am out of work,” I think to myself.
I reach out to my cell phone, which has become an extension to my body. I really feel they should come up with a cell phone built into your palm. It becomes the only object I am attached to…my cell phone shows no missed calls and no messages. That’s very strange for I am the kind of person who wakes up to an average of 15 messages and 10 missed calls. I hoping the cell phone rings, so I can plan the rest of my day…No response.
I spend the next few hours having a large lazy breakfast. Scrambled eggs, juice, toast with marmalade, some seriously strong coffee…perfect but the attention still is on my cell phone which is acting dead today.
I spend the next few hours browsing through the paper and channel surfing (I am really good at both).Some day I’ll open a channel which flips through channels for all those people who love to surf. It’s a million dollar idea. “There has to be some work on the film left” – oh how I wish today was the 15 of May (Jannat releases on the 16).
12: 57 PM
So what’s on TV … IPL, IPL and more IPL. Images of Bhajji’s slap, Sreesanth crying, Shah Rukh dancing, Katrina cheering, cricketers ramp walking, Shoaib’s return is all I see. Is there nothing else happening in the country? Welcome to the newest daily soap … hats off to Set Max, they have created a soap for the Indian male. Hope the IPL gets nominated for the best show in non fiction. But who is complaining, not me … I’m hooked on. Its cricket meets bollywood (also helps my film, which is on match fixing for all of you all that did not know).
Let’s turn to international news…Obama vs. Clinton, Obama vs. Clinton and Obama vs. Clinton. The US presidential campaign is longer than the tour de France. I can’t figure out how the system works and who is winning … and do I really care as long as Bush is gone.
2: 18 PM
After a light lunch and couple of telephonic interviews I decide to call my friends for the trail I have kept this week. I can barely think of 10 people to call. You see, I have been in a world of my own while Jannat was on – I have missed so many occasions, marriages and general hang outs that my friends automatically assume I’m busy.
“What takes up so much of your time?”, “Are you building a rocket?” are the general questions. Its time I showed them what I do, I thought to myself but I have become so out sync with most of them that I can’t remember where they work or what they do or what’s happening in their lives. I even forgot that one of them got married.
Jannat reminds me of one of my ex girlfriends. She takes up all your time, all you think of is her, your friends always complain, crazy highs, depressive lows, mad frenzy, an all consuming…and when it’s over … well its over. You come out of your time freeze bubble and life goes on but everything is different.
5:00 PM
Still no call from Mahesh Bhatt or Mukesh Bhatt. I switch my cell phone off and back on again to check if it’s working all right. I decide to hit the gym. My mother has been nagging me about the weight that I have gained in the past one year and how my clothes don’t fit right anymore so I decide a little work out will be good.
Khar gymkhana…it’s where I spent most of my childhood. First it was swimming and then the gym. It was my second home right from the age of 10 to 21. As I walk down the corridor I am greeted by familiar warm faces who have all seen the promos and love the songs. They wish me best of luck…no one of them can actually believe that I have made a film. “Yes yes I am the director”…and a modest smile is all I can manage. It’s a great feeling.
My stamina and strength is at an all time low. I pretend to work out as I catch up with all my gym buddies. Five minutes into my jog my heads begins to spin and start blacking out. I think of all the alcohol, chocolate and junk stress busting food I have eaten.
8:37 PM
I feel like my life has gone from the 4th gear to the first. I’m waiting for the tenth – we have this crazy promotional schedule lined up – Delhi, Lahore, Bangalore, Calcutta.
I decide to make a movie plan for Iron man … yes Iron man (I not in the mood for intelligent cinema…give me my popcorn). I manage to rope in a couple of my old classmates who want to watch The Forbidden Kingdom but it’s my car so I use my veto power. As usual they are late…some things never change. The show is about to start in ten minutes and we are still in Bandra. Drive Kunal, Drive…If anybody saw a white civic dangerously zip by Juhu and break a few signals it was me. Yipee…finally a rush of blood, a moment of crisis. I guess I have turned into an adrenaline junkie.
We make it just in time; I spend the rest of the night watching an American blockbuster mentality cinema – Iron man. Completely senseless where Stark build Iron Man in a cave somewhere in Afghanistan (please guys…). My friends loved it, Robert Dowry Jr was brilliant, the film had this non-stop pace, and funny one-liners till the very end. Hmm may be I could learn something here.
1:30 AM
I get into bed and think to myself…No call from The Bhatts, lunch at home, brainless TV gazing, bumping into old friends, a fake work out, an exciting drive, Iron man … all in a day, a very EVENTFULL NORMAL day. I feel 26 again … |
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| Posted by Kunal Deshmukh at 15:47 IST |
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Last Post: 07/07/2008 |
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For the mortals of the world, there’s a famous saying about the city of Kashmir which says “If at all there is Heaven on Earth, it is here, it is here, it is here”. But for the immortals of Bollywood, the same saying can be rephrased as “If at all there is Jannat on Earth, it is Kunal Deshmukh, it is Kunal Deshmukh, it is Kunal Deshmukh”. We are very sure that all of you who worship Bollywood must have got the connection like a fish to water.
But for starters, Kunal Deshmukh is the name who has, to his credit of bringing Jannat on Bollywood’s Earth. Being armed with degrees in Film Direction Courses from the prestigious NYFA (New York Film Academy) & NYU (New York University), New York, and Kunal started his filmi career with as an Assistant Director to Mohit Suri, who gradually and eventually landed up giving Bollywood its very own Jannat, a film that has both the masses and the classes asking for more!
The multi-talented Kunal will be sharing and blogging his views and thoughts about the topics that he feels strongly about, only on Bollywood Hungama, the Biblical site of Bollywood about which you feel strongly about. |
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