A Young Actor’s Conundrum

“Should I be doing one film at a time or should I be doing all the work I can lay my hands on?”

If a newcomer is lucky enough to be getting multiple offers from producers, in Bombay it mostly means you are ‘to the manor born’, this question might play on a young actor’s mind. Of course if you’re the kind who has sold their last belonging to make a leap into Bollyland this isn’t a very relevant question and you can stop reading now. But if you are young and connected by blood or sperm with the royalty of filmdom and are being puff inflated by your managers and/ or mummyji as the next big thing you might have to grapple with this question. At least you should if you have any fucking brains.

There is a case for both approaches. In the past, Amitabh Bachchan’s generation, that lorded over the box-office, used to do three shifts a day churning out 3 to 5 films a year.  While others, mostly from the current generation of ‘Stars’, take a more measured approach doing one or two films a year.  This approach to work was made popular by Aamir Khan at the turn of the century.  He probably decided that it made sense for him to limit exposure and put all his effort into the one film every year or so. And it worked very well for him. Largely because he was meticulous about the story he chose and made sure everyone around him polished it to a level where it was simply impossible for it to fail. But here is the bad news for those newcomers who think taking this route  is their success mantra. Most young actors don’t know how to read a script. Of course it might be argued that many older actors don’t really know how to read either, but then that’s a story for another time.

Today I will argue for the ‘work till you drop’ approach. One of the main reasons to do this is that as a young actor you don’t know shit about reading a script. Your inability to make a distinction between a good script and a god-awful one is the first reason you should be doing more films. It is like taking multiple small bets at the gambling table as opposed to putting your house on the line on one punt. Bandra and Andheri’s streets are littered with tombstones of too many ‘failed’ young actors who were made to believe they were better than the work being offered to them.

The second reason, and this is more important, is that most young actors polishing up in the gyms, swimming, doing parkour and horse riding don’t know how to act. It is a truth that is well known. Directors break into cold sweat in the middle of the night worrying about the next day’s shoot.  DOPs have been known to shoot themselves, with a gun. So, if you are deluding yourself that behind that chocolate face is an acting supernova please dispel that thought. You are in all probability a lousy actor with no real life experiences to draw upon.  There is no real depth to you. You are what would be described as a ‘flake’ in parts of India that are not Andheri west.

But there is hope. Take the example of today’s reigning superstars. To put it politely they were not thespian quality actors at the start of their career.  But they have by and by become reasonable actors. Over time acting like any craft can be polished. You can learn how to face the camera and pace your dialogue delivery.  Timing and use of space is a great skill that can be learned by acting daily in front of camera. You can learn what works and what doesn’t if you spend enough time in front of the camera. Experience can even make you a good actor.  And this experience comes by acting. Also, don’t forget some of those character actors you’ll work with daily, those actors who don’t make it to the film’s poster or publicity material, are actually very good at their jobs and give you a springboard to bounce off that no mirror can.

Since Aamir Khan’s approach to work is the example most touted by young actors while rejecting scripts it may be interesting to see how many films he did at the start of his career.  I have counted 26 films in the first 12 years after his mainstream debut in 1988.  And these are the films that saw light of day. I am sure there were enough that got stuck in various stages of filming.   He was probably doing 3 to 4 films a year.

So the lesson here would be, learn to read a script. But if you can’t make out if a script is good or bad it may be a wise career move to carpet bomb the audiences. Learning from a mistake is better than not learning at all. Please do yourself a favor and go through the list of actors - I suggest looking at the last 10 years - who were billed as the next big thing and see how far they’ve gotten.  This list is full of sons/daughters/girlfriends of Bollyland ‘A’ list who got launched in great style.  You’ll find a huge number, actors who listened to their spin doctors/agents dead set on ‘packaging’ them right, who never made any headway. In this business hot turns to cold rather quickly. Out of politeness I won’t mention names but you get what I am saying.  Choose to do more than less. Less is okay if you are already a star or an exceptional actor.  Also remember that your father’s stardom doesn’t automatically transfer to you.

 Saying no to a script is easy. Saying yes and then working your butt off takes courage. And courage is what makes a great character.  

Dear FTII Students...

Dear FTII students,

First of all congratulations on your agitation that is getting unprecedented media coverage. As any marketing professional will tell you this construes a major success. You are already on the road to becoming successful filmmakers because running a successful media campaign is as important to the success of a filmmaker as making a quality film. Some may believe even more so.

Second, and this I say with utmost humility, (I am a filmmaker but perhaps under qualified to offer advice, even though it is friendly and elder brotherly, as I haven’t yet won a national award for what I do. And I do know that is the minimum qualification required to even talk to young and brilliant minds like yours) please do not allow your agitation to be hijacked by politicians. I mean some of you may consider having Rahul Gandhi visiting you a major triumph but I would like to remind you that he is the opposite of what you are fighting for. Even though I don’t think Gajendra Chauhan is the best candidate to head your institute I would like to remind you he is perhaps a little better qualified, on account of having made it on his own to wherever he has reached in life, than Rahul Gandhi who is offering you homilies about mediocrity.  Of course some of you may disagree with me and might even think that Rahul Gandhi is the right person to be espousing the cause of merit and excellence but I would like you to consider the appointment of Ms. Prathiba Patil to the presidency of India as an example. I talk about the former president because like you she too lives in Pune and you are probably aware of her from the local newspapers. Please remember that the same Rahul Gandhi and his party, with his zest for excellence, decided to foist Ms. Patil on us as the president almost as an antidote to President Kalam.  So, please avoid aligning with politicians of any hue. Their aims are different from yours and to be used as a convenient tool in someone else’s fight may not be the smartest thing you do.

Third, please do not be too quick to dismiss other people’s achievements. However modest they might look to you. I am talking here not just about Gajendra Chauhan but also about countless technicians and artists who work and die in this unforgiving business. Once you come out of the institute you will realize that nepotism is big in this business. And I am sorry to tell you that not all of you will have illustrious careers by the yardstick that you seem to be judging success. Of course it won’t make you less of an artist or a person. But if you define success in narrow terms of awards or money it will rankle when rank mediocre people get to corner the glory and money just because they are somebody’s son/daughter. So, be kind to people while judging them because there is every likelihood that you will be in their position in 20 years time.

I do hope that the current impasse will end amicably and to your satisfaction. I, and a lot of people like me, look forward to being delighted, thrilled and challenged by your celluloid expressions in the future.

Best,

Vikram Singh

An open letter in a season of open letters.

Dear Hafiz Saeed (and other birds of similar feather),

It is the new year- 2015. I could wish you like I wish all my friends, but somehow wishing you well in the New Year isn’t something my heart is warming up to. I am sure you will understand why.  I do however, in the spirit of the season, wish to offer you some free advice.  To use it wisely or not is up to you.

First off I want to tell you what you are doing wrong.  You are waging a losing battle. You have targeted India time and again and have nothing to show for it.  In corporate terms you are an abysmal failure. If I were your CEO I would have sacked you for incompetence long ago.  Your aims are unclear and what goals you wish to achieve through your threats of violence seem muddled at best.  For the record all your attempts so far have yielded nothing. Diddlysquat!

Sure you killed a few hundred Indians, but that isn’t even a drop in this vast ocean. To give you a perspective, ten people die everyday in Mumbai alone while crossing the railway tracks. That’s well over three thousand people in a year. Our papers don’t even report it unless it’s a really slow news day. We still haven’t learned to be scared of the railway tracks or to stop crossing them while dodging trains. Coming back your attempts; we are still here; united and disunited to different degrees, and we intend to stay. Not because we are courageous or have great tenacity but because we simply have nowhere else to go.  You see we are too many to kill or drive away.  And frankly we are just too busy with our little lives to be scared either. Your impact is limited to a day or two at best.  After which we simply get on with our life. Which is pretty pathetic for all the effort you put in don’t you think? I mean have you ever heard of the concept of ROI? We spend far more time worrying about Bipasha Basu’s next horrorex film than we do about you.  

Please realize that it is not very easy to drive a wedge between us, if that is your intent, as hundreds of riots and communal tensions in our past could teach you if you were inclined to learn a little about us.  Once again it’s not because we are resilient or more evolved or any such great attribute. We simply don’t care enough. Life is shitty around these parts, is it any better in your part of the world, and concerns about malaria and dengue far outweigh any concerns about any religious polarization you might achieve. It is my submission that every human has only so much mind space s/he can devote to worry. The average Indian’s concerns about inflation, bad roads and the dry water tap at home take up too much of his time. Sadly you are somewhere near the bottom of the worry pile. An autorickshaw ride back from work terrorizes us far more than you would ever be able to achieve.  Come to think of it, most of our politicians do a much better job than you are doing.  Maybe you should be learning from them rather than from your friends in the ISI. Have you seen them stalling our parliament or pulling each other down like little crabs? That’s a far more effective way to break us up than by sending in a handful of armed idiots every now and again.

To conclude; find a different hobby, something that satisfies the inner animal in you. I am sure there are smaller more easily achievable nastinesses that you could indulge in.  Have you tried killing flies? Or mosquitoes? Do you have some of those in your part of the world? It can be a very pleasurable pursuit, I promise you. Especially if you’ve been bitten all night and you find the little blighters hovering around in the morning wanting more.  Or if this is too little for you, you could fight some virus afflicting your people. Killing viruses can be quite pleasurable I’ve been told.  I hear polio is still a problem in Pakistan. Instead of sending your gunmen to us you could instead send them out to help protect the workers dispensing polio drops in the far-flung areas of your country. You know it may still be possible to redeem yourself by channeling your rage. I say this as a concerned citizen of this world. The way you are going you may not amount to anything at all.

Best,

An ordinary Indian.

Aarmano Ka Sapna

Last month I traveled with my good friend Milind Chitnavis to Nagpur to shoot this music video for his band Music UnLtd. 

Experiments With A Macro Lens.

This little ant came into my kitchen.

A white A4 size sheet of paper got its attention . It was struck by the same feeling that a writer encounters on seeing a blank page. 

Monsoon brings out a lot of these creepy crawlies. 

This guy stopped to pose for the camera.

You discover how fast they move when you try focusing on them. 

These snails were heading south.

This big guy was in no hurry.

I followed this butterfly around for a bit.  It flew beautifully even with the damaged wing. 

Mordern Day Mir Jafers Wear A Suit

Yesterday a routine shopping trip ended in McDonald’s. The kids love it and it is quick and convenient for us too. Even if the meal is indifferent at best. Whenever we go out an internal war erupts as we try to do the right thing by steering the family away from a fast food place while the loud and inviting advertising does it’s pulling act. Yesterday was no different and it is no surprise that McDonald’s won. It usually does. Happy Meals are quite popular with the kids and was the default order for them. More than the food, if you think the regular food served is indifferent you have to see the Happy Meal, it a cheap plastic toy that is the star of this order. We indulge our kids, like most parents do I guess, and if a plastic toy makes them happy so be it.

The toy that came with the meal was, as expected, a plastic made in China comb set. Halfway through the meal it was opened and to our horror the comb started losing colour. Pinkish red stains were all over those little hands that were still eating. The first thought that came to mind was ‘that’s got to be toxic’. That is how little we trust the restaurant we end up eating in at least once a month. So, immediately we asked to see the manager. The poor man had no answer to our queries about the toy and best he could offer was ‘I am very sorry, we will replace it’. Of course he missed the point totally.

Now I can only imagine the scenario that must have played out in getting this offending toy into our hands.  Happy meals are well-established Kid magnets.  Some manager, probably a really bright person, maybe one of India’s best business managers of his age, must have been entrusted the task of reducing cost and increasing profitability of every Happy Meal sold. A KRA like that can lead one very quickly to making marginal decisions.  

This little incident got me thinking. How often does this happen? How often do we put our trust in large companies, most of them global giants, multinationals with huge reputations, and how often do they abuse that trust? How often do we come across products sold in India that are inferior to the same brand of products sold in developed countries? Take for instance a Cadbury’s milk chocolate or an Oreo cookie or frozen deserts from Unilever. Very rarely will they match up to the quality standards of the same product in UK or USA.

It is my argument that none of this is accidental. Most of these companies have different standards for different countries. Every step in the product development cycle is carefully studied and worked upon by the same kind of diligence that put man on the moon. So, when the content of a packet of chips goes from 50 grams to 45 grams you can be sure that it is the work of a well thought out strategy. Or for that matter when the same packet of chips has more air, pumped in to make the packet look fuller, than chips you can be sure that the quantity to air ratio has been decided on by a committee of marketing & product managers and cost accountants.

How often do we find the aforementioned products to be sad imitations of what the same companies sell in the developed world? For instance would Nescafé taste as insipid in Toronto as it does in Delhi?  And these are just examples of B2C brands. The difference of quality standards in every sphere are glaring. Take the case of pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy that has been in news over the last couple of years and it shows up the rot in Indian healthcare businesses.  The invisible loot by the banking industry is quiet and, like carbon monoxide, quite lethal and all pervasive.

A few years back when the multinationals were entering India we were all very excited. Surely competition will be great for the consumers we thought. The multinationals went about their work by hiring some of the brightest minds to work for them. They flocked to IITs, IIMs and other premier institutions and hired the best brains available in India, some might say the best brains in the world. Everything pointed in the direction of consumer nirvana. But the script has played out differently.  These brightest minds have then been used to circumvent every regulation, every quality standard in order to squeeze out that extra ounce of profit. Every manager is expected to find a new way of making more money for his company.  And s/he does a great job of it. In the process an ice cream that kids love becomes a frozen dessert. It can no longer be called ice cream because it doesn’t contain any dairy.  But then why let a silly fact like that come in the way when a cleverly worded ‘Frozen Dessert’ can bail you out?  

I would like to remind these managers of the cycle that they too are a part of. The McDonald's manager’s kids buy from Cadbury’s and the Cadbury’s manager’s kids buy from Unilever and the Unilever manager’s kids buy from McDonald's. This cycle makes sure there is a perverted justice built into the system.  What goes around does indeed come around.

So the question is how will history judge these Indians? These bright Indians, many of whom I call my friends, who are actually decent people in real life outside of work. They have the same issues that I have with compromised quality standards. I suggest, at the risk of alienating half of my friends, calling them Mir Jafer wouldn’t really be wrong. They, in their defense, may claim that they aren’t doing anything wrong. They are following the law as best as they possibly can and still making money for their companies. It isn’t their fault if the law or its implementation is lax. They are only playing to the field they have been set.  But then I am sure Mir Jafer too thought that he was doing the right thing and it was in the best interest of those around him. I don’t for a moment believe that Mir Jafer would have thought ‘Let me do the wrong thing, let me f@#k up this country’. Neither do these managers.

Flower Market Scenes In December

All Set For Business

Rose By Another Name

Offerings For The Gods

The Devout

Only If You Are Buying

Temple Offering

Flower Sellers