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| Saturday, August 16, 2008 |
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As I sit starring at the tranquil scenary in front of me, I can't help but be spell bound by the perfect blue sky with just the right amount of clouds, a beautiful lake that reflects all, and the sound of music coming from musicians close by. Left to me, I could lie here for eternity, it's hard to believe that I am not in the country side but actually in the heart of London city, I am in Hyde Park.
This is my second trip to London and here is a warning for all those who have not been to London - if you get a certain sense of déjà vu when you get to London, don't be afraid. The problem is that you might have seen London so many times in so many Hindi movies that you may actually start believing that you have been there.
For e.g. - Trafalgar Chowk - unmistakable, it's used in the opening shot of DDLJ when Amrish Puri is feeding the pigeons or Piccadilly Circus - the fountain surrounded by the neon lights has been used in every Hindi movie shot in London.
But I like the park the best. Maybe it's that one element that is so missing from Mumbai.
"So this is the park where Karan Johar writes his scripts"- I thought to myself … I too was looking for that big idea., hoping that the sights and sounds of London would inspire me to write something unique and beautiful. Well, it's been two days and all I do when I get here is fall asleep after a nice lazy lunch. However hard I try, I can't seem to write a word. I find myself lulled by the luxury the city has to offer. My burning conflict within, which helped me write the scenes of Jannat is now squashed. So I stop pretending to work. I remember the words of my boss Mahesh Bhatt - a good idea is like a miracle. I was really hoping for one.
The next day I decide to go for a movie with my some of my friends. We are outside Troccaderoes when a man with make up on walks by me. I could have sworn it was Saif Ali Khan and on giving a second look - it was indeed Saif. He was shooting for his home production in a club close by. My friends were really keen to meet him. They kept telling me why can't you go up to him and introduce yourself; you have made a hit film. I flatly refused and that's when I thought to myself what am I doing in London. I am struggling to write, I am shopping in one of the worlds most expensive cities with money I have not worked for and I don't have the self belief to walk up to Saif who works in the same profession as me because of the fear that he will not recognize me .
And then it happened - I felt angry and desperate again. The fire that had kept me going for the last one year was back. I suddenly had a point to prove again. I did not want to be in London anymore - it kept me away from my city, from my reality. The quintessential requirement for a filmmaker according to me is that he needs to be in tune with the nation he is making films for, he has to feel the heart beat of the common man and then somehow communicate that through the story he tells.
I spent the entire next day by myself. There was this restlessness in me. And then it happened - it hit me like a jihadi bullet. I found myself writing and writing. I lost track of time. Wherever I went, I could visualize a story. I could put down not one idea but many.
It was no special day, there was no special light, no sound that came and whispered in my ear. It was the same me, writing a script in an uninspiring bar in London. It was about keeping my mind open, my eyes and ears open and even my sense of smell open. Every event in your life can be converted into a great story idea; it all depends on how you want to tell it. We all posses story telling skills, because that's where we have evolved from - The cave men exchanging hunting notes over a fire. So I would like to say thank you to Saif Ali Khan for unknowingly jump starting my idle mind again.
In my last blog I said I'm ready to inhale life - let me complete that - I am now ready to inhale life and exhale cinema. |
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| Posted by Kunal Deshmukh at 09:30 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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