Darjeeling, June 19: The Barfee crew will start leaving the hills days ahead of schedule from tomorrow but the bitterness has ebbed and the possibility of a return has been kept alive following “humbling” signs of contrition and a gesture from a music band.
“I feel humbled as everyone in town is feeling sorry about the incident (Thursday’s spat at the Mall). Yesterday, I was at the Buzz (a resto-bar) and the band sang a song to say sorry. Even during the shoot, the crowd listened to us (and moved out of the frame) unlike earlier times,” director Anurag Basu said today.
Musicians from various bands playing at the Buzz inside Glenary’s had crooned a Bob Dylan for the visiting crew of Barfee after they saw Basu. “We just thought of singing Dylan’s I shall be released. We thought it would be just right for the moment,” said Lipok Jamir, the drummer of Baraka.
The lyrics of the 1967 prison song has some parallels with the unfortunate incident at the Mall, where Basu said he was misunderstood when he chided his own security team for blocking a group of students.
A stanza in the song goes: “Standing next to me in this lonely crowd/ Is a man who swears he’s not to blame.
“All day long I hear him shout so loud/Crying out that he was framed.”
Later, the musicians told Basu over the microphone how sorry they were about the events and urged him to stay on.
Basu did not rule out a return. “I have found out that we cannot shoot in some places here. Accordingly, we will make our plans (the next time),” the director said.
“I will have to compromise a lot if I don’t shoot in Darjeeling. I don’t want to show Shimla as Darjeeling.”
The film team had shot across Darjeeling town at night to steer clear of crowds. Basu, who shot from 9pm yesterday till early this morning with Ranbir Kapoor, said: “Shooting at night is dangerous. We use lots of lights and things can go wrong with the heavy rains.”
The shots for the film starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and southern star Ileana D’ Cruz, were taken at the Capitol Hall, along Gandhi Road and around the Mall.
They will be used as day shots in the film. “We don't get to see the landscapes at night and it is difficult to get a sense of the place,” said Basu. “We were constantly asking ourselves, ‘Is it looking like Darjeeling?’”
The team has plans to shoot along Nehru Road late tonight, attempting some daylight shots tomorrow. “Let’s see how it works out tomorrow,” said Basu.
The Barfee team also carried out “guerrilla shooting”. “We took a small unit in two cars and went about town with Ranbir in a guerrilla shooting spree, not staying for more than 20 minutes in any location,” said Basu.
The director, however, seemed satisfied with what he had filmed so far. “I am satisfied with the shots I have got so far. But I have only got two or three shots of Darjeeling in day light and since they could not be completed, I don’t think they can be used in the film,” he said.
Basu had cut short his shooting in Darjeeling on Thursday because of unmanageable crowds and a war of words between his crew and some spectators at the Chowrasta. Following the incident, Basu had said the next day that he would not shoot in Darjeeling and had advanced his Tindharia schedule so that he could leave the hills early.
“Since we could not get the tickets for all the crew members, the team will leave in batches from tomorrow,” said Basu who is expected to fly out on June 22. Earlier, the team was scheduled to leave only after June 26.
Basu has completed about 50 per cent of the shoot planned in Darjeeling. Ranbir will either leave tomorrow or the day after, depending on the shooting that has been scheduled for tonight and early tomorrow morning.
Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110620/jsp/frontpage/story_14135283.jsp
“I feel humbled as everyone in town is feeling sorry about the incident (Thursday’s spat at the Mall). Yesterday, I was at the Buzz (a resto-bar) and the band sang a song to say sorry. Even during the shoot, the crowd listened to us (and moved out of the frame) unlike earlier times,” director Anurag Basu said today.
Musicians from various bands playing at the Buzz inside Glenary’s had crooned a Bob Dylan for the visiting crew of Barfee after they saw Basu. “We just thought of singing Dylan’s I shall be released. We thought it would be just right for the moment,” said Lipok Jamir, the drummer of Baraka.
The lyrics of the 1967 prison song has some parallels with the unfortunate incident at the Mall, where Basu said he was misunderstood when he chided his own security team for blocking a group of students.
A stanza in the song goes: “Standing next to me in this lonely crowd/ Is a man who swears he’s not to blame.
“All day long I hear him shout so loud/Crying out that he was framed.”
Later, the musicians told Basu over the microphone how sorry they were about the events and urged him to stay on.
Basu did not rule out a return. “I have found out that we cannot shoot in some places here. Accordingly, we will make our plans (the next time),” the director said.
“I will have to compromise a lot if I don’t shoot in Darjeeling. I don’t want to show Shimla as Darjeeling.”
The film team had shot across Darjeeling town at night to steer clear of crowds. Basu, who shot from 9pm yesterday till early this morning with Ranbir Kapoor, said: “Shooting at night is dangerous. We use lots of lights and things can go wrong with the heavy rains.”
The shots for the film starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and southern star Ileana D’ Cruz, were taken at the Capitol Hall, along Gandhi Road and around the Mall.
They will be used as day shots in the film. “We don't get to see the landscapes at night and it is difficult to get a sense of the place,” said Basu. “We were constantly asking ourselves, ‘Is it looking like Darjeeling?’”
The team has plans to shoot along Nehru Road late tonight, attempting some daylight shots tomorrow. “Let’s see how it works out tomorrow,” said Basu.
The Barfee team also carried out “guerrilla shooting”. “We took a small unit in two cars and went about town with Ranbir in a guerrilla shooting spree, not staying for more than 20 minutes in any location,” said Basu.
The director, however, seemed satisfied with what he had filmed so far. “I am satisfied with the shots I have got so far. But I have only got two or three shots of Darjeeling in day light and since they could not be completed, I don’t think they can be used in the film,” he said.
Basu had cut short his shooting in Darjeeling on Thursday because of unmanageable crowds and a war of words between his crew and some spectators at the Chowrasta. Following the incident, Basu had said the next day that he would not shoot in Darjeeling and had advanced his Tindharia schedule so that he could leave the hills early.
“Since we could not get the tickets for all the crew members, the team will leave in batches from tomorrow,” said Basu who is expected to fly out on June 22. Earlier, the team was scheduled to leave only after June 26.
Basu has completed about 50 per cent of the shoot planned in Darjeeling. Ranbir will either leave tomorrow or the day after, depending on the shooting that has been scheduled for tonight and early tomorrow morning.
Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110620/jsp/frontpage/story_14135283.jsp