Scene by Scene - On the Road

The popular globally-broadcast television series linked to the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Scene by Scene – Films of Asia Pacific returns to CNN International in 2009, providing audiences with unique insights into the power, reach and dynamic personalities of Asia-Pacific cinema. 

Join us in coming weeks for a ‘behind the scenes’ as the production team journeys to vastly different countries and continents to meet the talented filmmakers of this region now described as the powerhouse of film.

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INDIA (By Kimberley Sakzewski – Production Manager)

Monday July 27, 2009

Day #1 Mumbai

Our production crew Karen Berkman (producer), Drew Llewelyn (cameraman) and I arrived in Mumbai late on a
steamy monsoonal evening to start our four day shoot of Indian filmmakers and actors.  None of us had been to
India before and we had no preconceptions of what we would see or experience.  The first thing that interested
me was that this is still ‘Bombay’ to many locals, or Mumbaikars as they are now known.

Travelling to India during the monsoonal season is an eye opening experience with some residential areas
predisposed to seasonal flooding.  But it’s situations like these you get to see the resilience of the locals in trying
conditions.  As we drove to our hotel around midnight we were amazed to see hoardes of people walking,
barefoot, to worship at their temple some 15 kilometres away. 

Security at our hotel is, sadly, just a reflection of tighter security around the world now and our car was checked
thoroughly under the hood and chassis, and metal detectors, sniffer dogs and personal security checks are the
order of the day.  Obviously hotel management had the blasts at the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta not one week before
as stark reminder of the vulnerability of hotels frequented by foreign travellers.   We met Samruddha, our
wonderful front desk assistant who travels an amazing six hour round trip on his motorbike to work every day –
 what commitment!  Seems everyone has an interest in film in Mumbai and Sam has just finished his first lead role
in a film .. watch out for him on the big screen some day.

Not much more to report at the end of Day 1, but from what I can already see, this place is hums well into the night.


Samruddha - what a star!

  

Tuesday July 28, 2009

Day #2 Mumbai

First up we met our fabulous Indian production facilitator Saveeta (Savvy) Bajaj.  I had been working with Savvy for
weeks beforehand to organise our schedule and tee up interviews – she is a seasoned professional working with
foreign television crews and holding tremendous knowledge and contact bases in the local film industry.  I
remembered all the times we had spoken on the phone before meeting;  how one night Savvy had her laptop drying
out in the oven and was using a hairdryer to keep her mobile phone dry so neither would become damaged by the
excessive humidity during the monsoons and she could keep in touch with her contacts.  Savvy was everything I
expected and more.  For foreign television crews, the whole success of an overseas shoot often depends on the
quality of your local liaison and we had really hit the jackpot with Savvy.

In the afternoon we had our first shoot with esteemed writer and director Feroz Abbas Khan at his offices. A member
of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards Academy, Feroz had a recent hit with Gandhi, My Father, an incredibly transparent
film about the legendary leader’s relationship with his son.  What we hadn’t factored in was the presence of the film’s
producer Anil Kapoor (now very well known worldwide for his great role as the quizmaster in Slumdog Millionaire)
who surprised us all as he stepped out from an adjoining room at Feroz’s offices.  We were due to interview Anil two
days later so it was an absolute treat to meet him earlier. 


Interviewing Feroz Abbas Khan;  The fabulous actor and producer Anil Kapoor (top right); Feroz's wonderful office
building (bottom right)

Wednesday July 29, 2009

Day #3 Mumbai

Our day started with a trip to filmmaker Pryas Gupta’s apartment.  A qualified architect, Pryas’ home reflects his
minimalist aesthetic. His directorial debut with The Prisoner has earned him many awards already, including an APSA
Grand Jury Prize in 2008.  Pryas has a number of projects in the works and not all confined to the world of film ... such
creativity transcends vocation! 


Pryas Gupta being interviewed by Karen; Filming outside Pryas' apartment


One thing about Mumbai is you will never see the same thing twice – and a quiet area can turn into mayhem just metres
away.  It is a visually fascinating place with the basics of living happening right in front of your eyes. 

Downtown hustle; Mumbai street scene; An ever-present Indian good luck charm - limes and chillis; '
God gifts babies .. we gift wrap them' -  children's store in Mumbai; A simple set-up that hands down makes the best
cup of tea in the world; Store security - Mumbai-style; Life on a Mumbai beach; A traffic vendor purveying his wares



After interviewing and filming Pryas in the bustling street outside his apartment, we travelled to a film studio to film
Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia during a photo shoot to promote high-end jewellery.  Neha’s background in modeling
was very evident during the shoot and the photographer certainly appreciated her level of professionalism. Neha was due
to fly to Los Angeles the following morning to promote her US television series Bollywood Hero. During the shoot I met
celebrity manager Jude Rosemeyer whose family now coincidentally live in an inner city suburb in Brisbane, Australia
where our production team is based.


Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia; Jude Rosemeyer celebrity manager, Savvy Bajaj fixer extraordinaire and Rishi
Thakkar assistant to Neha Dhupia (bottom right) 



Later that afternoon it was back to our hotel to interview and film another Bollywood actress Konkona Sen-Sharma. 
Daughter of esteemed Indian writer and director Aparna Sen, Konkona already has an amazing knowledge of the film
industry and has won national awards for her work. She is definitely someone to watch, incredibly versatile, excelling in
the art house film genre and even called this generation’s next Shabana Azmi.

Karen interviewing award-winning actress Konkona Sen-Sharma

Thursday July 30, 2009

Day #4 Mumbai

Our last day in Mumbai held much promise as we had arranged to film and interview Anil Kapoor and his famous actress
daughter Sonam Kapoor.  By mid-morning however things were looking very shaky as changing filming schedules and
Anil’s evening flight to South Africa loomed as major hurdles to getting our own shoot done.  But some swift talking and a
lot of fast text-messaging saw things firm up for us again for our evening shoot with the Kapoors.  After filming a lot of
overlay around Mumbai we travelled to Film City – past the famous Whistling Woods International film institute – to a massive
sound stage to film Anil and Sonam.  Both utterly generous, charming and respectful or everyone despite their star status, it
is clear why this family of filmmakers and actors is one of India’s favourite. 

 
Karen Berkman talks with Indian actress Sonam Kapoor; Sonam and Anil Kapoor discuss their lives in the film
industry with Karen

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Scene by Scene will screen globally in the lead up to the 2009 Asia Pacific Screen Awards Ceremony
on November 26. The broadcast dates are:

Episode 1 October 3 – 4, 2009
Episode 2 October 10 – 11, 2009
Episode 3 October 17 – 18, 2009
Episode 4 October 31 – November 1, 2009

The Screening Room from December 3, 2009

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2008 SCENE BY SCENE CLIPS NOW ONLINE

Segments from Scene by Scene 2008 are now available to view in the online Video Gallery featuring interviews and
exclusive on set access with acclaimed filmmakers from the region including Peter Jackson (New Zealand), Eran
Riklis (Israel), Ashutosh Gowariker (India) and 2008 Jury President Bruce Beresford (Australia).

Episode One: New Zealand / Pakistan / Thailand
Episode Two: Russian Federation / Jordan / Palestinian Territories
Episode Three: Israel / India
Episode Four: People’s Republic of China / Australia

> Click here to view these segments.




Scene by Scene is an Asia Pacific Screen Awards production in association with CNN International.
CNN International global broadcasts reach more than 249 million households and hotel rooms around the world in more
than 200 countries and territories.


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