Madh Island, Mumbai, is dotted with bungalows that are often used for shoots. They are called shoot bungalows – as compared to the private or company bungalows that dot the landscape.

We were shooting for a show called Golden Age, hosted by Kitu Gidwani – that goes on Samay Mumbai from next week. The show is aimed at an audience above 50 – and seeks to ‘empower’ them through a combination of information, case studies and representation .

(Kitu Gidwani – Golden Age, Samay Mumbai)

More on the show closer to launch date……

Being in Madh, gives you access to the beach – and with that a whole different ecosystem At one end you have shoot crews bustling and shouting out instructions …

And, at the other – across the wall- you have a much quieter mode of life – where conversations seem to be much more muted. and, people seem to have the non verbal communication of those who work hours together and are in perfect synch

A shoot – in addition to talent, equipment and crew – is also props – that give the sorroundings a different kind of ambience

Something like this simply adds a dash of colour to a frame. All those little splashes or little touches that one sees in a frame (or more likely doesn’t see) takes time to achieve.

Often, I run out of patience when propping is being done _ and I usually try one of three things a) spend time with the talent – trying to get the best out of the content. Usually the best way is through conversation on the topic – this allows for an exchange of ideas and usually a better take for camera. b) meditate – staying calm is absolutely necessary on the shoot floor. I personally have issues with loud decibels or rudeness. I push aside those tendencies with just finding a corner and meditating. c) click – another way of relaxing. I tend to shoot in interesting places, and I like documenting those places & people – and there is always enough downtime – unless I am also directing – to click

And, of course, if i am lucky – i truly get a great Arabian Sea sunset ….

all of us have lives that are footprints in the sand.

but, each life has value. not just in the monetary sense but in the civilizational sense. each life has love, family, friends and experiences. and, their loss matters.

this is the crux of the film, on disaster risk reduction, that i am working on. it is not about millions or billions or lakhs. It is about the one. the individual. And, how it needs to be at the centre of policy making

shoots, edits, trying to make sense of policy. it’s like being back in school !!

more on this later…..

The New Year has been good. I haven’t had a single day off
January started with me traveling to Shimla for a shoot. The story is that of communities – and how they understand, appreciate and prepare to beat the effects of natural hazards.

Shimla lies in an earthquake prone zone. The last earthquake struck a century ago. Experts predict one any time now. Also, parts of the state face cloudbursts, landslides, floods etal. We worked with all aspects of the system – from the individual household to the state machinery with the NGO acting as a bridge, a catalyst, educators and as sensitizers . It is nice to see the system at work.

two children at a school that is being retrofitted to make it earthquake proof.

I finished the documentary “Lessons that Matter” that charted post Tsunami long term rehabilitation in 3 countries. In Damniyamgama village in the Kalutura district of Sri Lanka, rehabilitation took the form of an eco-village that is built on age old traditions of living in peace with nature and the surroundings and self sufficiency. In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India – this was in the form of Swayam – a micro credit programme that sought to break the cycle of dependency that is created after a disaster. In Banda Aceh, Indonesia – the initiative came with a Tsunami Resource Centre – that resolved to train future generations to survive hazards.

At the Sarvodaya Eco Village, Damniyamgama, Sri Lanka. Children at the pre primary schoo.

I will have detailed posts on each of these soon… but , i am actually running. We travel to Balasur in Orissa tomorrow to tell the story of how communities are gearing up to prepare for cyclones.

And Finally,
Jhing Chik Jhing - Cogito TV’s first Marathi feature film is progressing through post production. We are all terribly excited about it. Saw the first cut on Sunday. It was good. it hasn’t been dubbed yet, the music isn’t on yet, the tranists are not yet done — yet it holds. Bharat Jadhav is brilliant and so is Chinmay Kambli. murmurs of Cannes have begun.

Chinmay Kambli & Arti More – Jhing Chik Jhing

Bharat Jadhav, Manasi Juvekar, Chinmay Kambli & Aarti More – Jhing Chik Jhing

Dilip Prabhavalkar in Jhing Chik Jhing

Hopefully the rest of the year should be like this

Sri Lanka was good fun. We shot for 3 days at the Sarvodaya Village in Kalutara.
The shoot was exhausting. It was hot, humid and i have come back nicely browned.
there are 7 hours of footage and i have to make a 10 minute film – so editing ought to be fun
The Andaman leg of the filming is also done.
more on both of these in the coming days.
On the 17th, i had a free day and caught the goodies at the National Museum of Colombo.

The museum ….

The Buddha….

Am off to Sri Lanka. It is work
Will be near the beaches filming for a Documentary on Long Term Rehabilitation Strategies.
With work like this, one doesn’t really need a break