“Corporatisation of Bollywood is a laugh!” - Arindham Chaudhari 

By IndiaFM News Bureau, December 8, 2004 - 05:22 IST

The wit and sarcasm is intact as Arindham Chaudhuri in the second half of a fiery interview, slices questions about corporatisation, the skin-boom in Bollywood and tells us matter-of-factly where Bollywood blows its moolah…

What was it like when a super-systematic Arindham Chaudhari met Bollywood that starts a 9'o clock shoot at 2?
Precisely our worry, which put us on the hunt for like-minded people. And the moment we spotted true-blue professionals like Jatin-Lalit, Samir Chanda, shooting was a breeze. Sunny Deol is another person who is a dream to work with. Besides I had a fantastic unit. Thanks to them, we didn't lose a single schedule.

What happened to the unprofessional Bollywood that we have been fed on?
Exactly my thought, when I asked people around, this is what they had to say. On the day of the shoot, dialogues are being written on the sets, lights are being set and costumes have not arrived. And a 9 o'clock shoot begins at 2 in the noon. So the actors arrive at 3 and the day has passed by without a single shot. But in our case where every single element was pre-planned, there were zero hassles. Lesson learnt, if you give professionalism to Bollywood, it returns you back.

What do you think of this sudden burst of item numbers?
I think it is plain stupid to believe that item numbers will sell tickets. Films now have close to 4 item numbers. The entire film is an item number! Good heavens, why would I want to go watch a film for one lame item number. I might as well switch on a MTV and I get my doze of skimpy nothings.

If sex-n-skin were to get you eyeballs, Boom should have been a blockbuster…
Exactly! This trend reminds me of the advertising sector which used to try to squeeze a hot bod into the advertisement irrespective of whether they were selling cars or candles. It's only when the client put their foot down that work started to happen. Creativity was put to discipline and results showed. There is nothing such as creative freedom. If you are spending someone's money, you better be responsible for it.

How do you think corporatisation will leverage filmmaking?
Certain people have made a joke in Bollywood. Some guys have changed books of accounts and now call themselves 'Private Limited'. And similarly, respected corporates have made a laugh of themselves by entering into films.

Tata does a million researches before launching a product, but when it comes to Bollywood, they blindly sign on films that are bland remakes or still worse some C grade projects, that are made without applying a single boardroom principle.

Can you better explain the term corporatisation?
Corporatisation is all about approaching a product in a systematic procedure. Marketing from day zero to day end. Looking for consumer insights and needs. And knowing what you are doing, and why. That is corporatisation.

Give us one management mantra that came handy during the course of the film.
Well, people management is something that came to my rescue. As a maker I might have the vision for the way an idea should look on screen. But it takes so many others to execute that idea. I think film directors should be called management directors. They fuse different activities towards one common goal.

Where does the maximum mismanagement of resources in Bollywood occur?
The resources that are invested are so shady that after 2 schedules of shoot, the producer suddenly says, 'I am low of dough and the next shoot will happen only once money flows in'. When shooting recommences, huge amounts of money are spent into getting the continuity right. The re-touch, re-hiring sets and various other elements simply blow the budget out-of-proportion. Zero planning or organization to speak of. That's where everything gets ugly.

So how did the Rok Sako To Rok Lo shoot happen? Give us a typical schedule.
We held a 1½-month acting workshop where dialogues were rehearsed to perfection. Their takes were limited to 3½ on an average. Now that is something that even leading Bollywood stars don't deliver. We used statistical tools to find out the shortest time possible. Tried working out various scenes such that least time was lost. Operational research techniques like PERT and CPM have been employed to minimize cost and time, which inturn multiplies profits.

Where has the film been shot?
It was a 72-day shoot entirely in Mumbai. There were a couple of action sequences too, but I couldn't have picked up roads in US all of a sudden. Besides, every second song today is shot in the Swiss Alps without rhyme or reason. But people seem to have liked my studio songs just as much as an expensive song shot in the middle of Atlanta!

Tell us about the track that has the three elements of rain, snow and sun in one song?
This song is in the league of 'Dekho maine dekha hain ek sapna' and 'Akele hain to kya ghum hain…' where the lead pair is narrating their idea of a dream house. And going by the way the song has shaped up, it's going to be a treat for the school kids.

Lastly, what is the budget that the film is sitting on?
Well, the production cost is 6½ crores while the promotional cost is 4½ crores. That bundles upto 11 crores all of which I am sure will walk back to us.

“Audiences never change preferences. The appetite for good cinema is always aliv