FASTEST PREPRODUCTION!

From our past experience on films i and Uttung both were used to at least 4-5 months of pre production before the film goes on floor.

For the uninitiated, Pre-production involves planning and locking your plans for the shoot on paper and in the minds of all the technicians involved. It means finalising your cameraman, art director, music director, costume designer, scouting locations and locking them, conducting auditions and locking the cast, drawing out schedules and preparing for any other emergencies that might occur.

The most time consuming part of this process is to find people with the similar vision as yours so that they understand and enhance the look that you have seen for the film.

On the morning of 20th Oct'08 we were yet to know whether the film will be made or not!! We only had on two things locked- THE SCRIPT and the DATES OF BHARAT JADHAV AND SANJAY NARVEKAR and those dates were from 1st Nov to 15 Nov!!!! We were 10 days away from those dates and still unaware.

On the night of 20th Oct'08 the project was locked. The production man was got in. after the meeting with the money people..I, Uttung and our production man- Pawan vaidya sat on the lawn outside the palatial mansion where we had gathered to lock our project. After a long silence where we all smoked in contemplation Uttung asked Vaidya, "Can we do it?", "It is difficult", he said. "But not impossible...we can do it.", i barged in for i did not want them to get too practical and too pessimistic! "Yes it can be done but..." began Vaidya. "We are doing it then!, all the best guys...we are going to make a feature film!"

That was on the night of 20th Oct'08...

The next day we stepped into our office and the war began...there was no computer or printer...my lap top came in handy...there were no chairs in office everyday some assorted furniture would come in from well wishers! we had to get the key crew and the Scott began.

We did not have large pay packets to pay anybody and we also anted them to say fast IMMEDIATELY! and yes...the last 4 days of the month was Diwali!!!! so we just had 6 whole days to prepare for a feature film which we had to shoot in 25 days flat on a shoe string budget without compromising on the creative and storytelling!!!

The hiccups began from day two itself....some people back tracked, some locations that were verbally finalised were leased out without consulting us!

We were going to begin from Worli's BDD chawl and we needed a room there to be worked upon for there was a definite look decided for it. We were two days away from the shoot when our art director backed out! We had become immune to set backs by then.

We knew one thing for sure- the harder we will be pushed back...the smarter we will push ourselves forward.

In 6 whole days and nights - the technicians were in place, locations were locked, casting was done, requirements were were ready...

I met Uttung near his building on the morning of 1st Nov'08 and we drove together to the location.

We were on our way to start making our first feature film!