Me an unemployed sits on a vacant bench at the VT station,face is moist and sticky.And has a trace of beared with sweat making it shiny.The hooting of the train starts and a couple hurries to enter the train with baggages on their shoulder.The speaker makes an announcement of the train commencing.And the train takes of with a slow snail like speed.The people at the platform waving at their known ones.I looked on until the train disappears from my sight.I stoodup on my feet and fished out the ticket from my pocket.Agonizingly glared at it once and tore it at the other moment.The tattered ticket fell on the ground .Depicting that still has the courage to face any barrier.Abrutly removed a five ruppe coin from the pocket.With this coin I had two options whether to eat a vada pav or peanuts.Quickly tossed the coin in the air and had heads on the top of my palm.ultimately choosed to eat peanuts.The moment finished eating the peanuts.I opened the cone paper of the peanut as if the door is opening for some hope.Flattening the paper where I saw a vacancy in a reputed film production company.And this brought smile on my face.Left the station with a light of hope.
Here was my inception to work as a writer and a filmaker from the age of 17.Never did I knew before that I had so many stories to tell which engaged my friends and family .my journey started with 2 of my friends where we had conceived a concept to portrait Mumbai on celluloid for a film festival in Mumbai.Since the theme was life in Mumbai.We gathered all the confidence together to make a short film.Didnt know “How”to make but only had decided “What” to tell.Sitting in a suburb mall in Mumbai we conceived a concept and had a idea to show an autobiography of a 10 ruppe note transaction and show various kinds of people in Mumbai.From kohliwalas to filmstars,From young college students to gay partners,From affluent business man to a beggar etc etc.So we gathered all the characters in Mumbai and penned down on a piece of paper.Later we arranged them in a proper order format so that the transaction of the 10 ruppe note from each people has some sense.As we had finished with the script and the dialogues in it,the other obstacle which we had to face was how and where to arrange characters for the short film.The camera could be arranged as one of my friend studied in mass media and her collegue could provide her witha HD camera.This brought us a sigh of relief but the casting of the characters in a short period was a little more difficult.And the deadline to submit the film was with few days.Tensed but with full of confidence and commitment to showcase Mumbai.Eventually we decided to take real characters from real location.Next day early morning with 2 friends and a camera we commenced our journey.1st we had to show the kohliwala from cuff parade and we picked a couple to play the characters.Excited and Amazed.They agreed to enact.So well were they dressed uo that it looked as if they were about to marry eachother once again.Neverthless they gave some time to us as they had to get back to their daily chores.We explained them the dialogues,script and the character movement.So the 1st note gets transacted from a kohliman to his wife as he has found a purse near the shore since no one claimed it.He opens the purse but gets disappointed as found only a TEN ruppe note and with his grunting words gives it to this wife.His wif who is a kohliwoman was given a role of a fishseller and she passes the ten ruppe note to a film star.Who arrives in a huge Honda City car to collect some fish from her.The same ten ruppe note she gives it to the filmstar saying that some amount was left to return of last week.In such a way we casted people from their location and then the ten rupee note is transated to unuchs,peanuts sellers,college students,beggar.drunkard father of the beggar,gay friends,traffic police man,Chaiwala.The last part is interesting as it was difficult to decide how to end the note...Is i by transferring back to tha same kohliman or end it in a garbage or a in sea but we came up with an innovative idea.since the note had transacted all day long it was evident that the note gets a little torn.In the end when the traffic police wala calls for a chai from a chaiwala.He gives a torn ten rupee note to him.Though as we know the traffic policewalas are dominating.He couldn’t convince the traffic police.Since the Chaiwala knew that the note is torn and is of no use,he looks at a Mumbai relief fund box and drops the note in it.But the story dosent end here.A affluent business man standing besides the box talking about cores of ruppes gets embarrassed when the chaiwala drops the note in the box.He himself fishes out a 100 ruppe note from his pocket and drops it in the box.
(The fact is that the business man didn’t know that the 10 ruppe note is torn which forced the chaiwala to drop it in the box)
After a two day long and tiring shoot the third day we got a young editor who was very talented in editing on avid software.She edited the film in two days as she remaind glued to the computer for 10 hours in the 1st day and the secod day.She worked very hard and sincerely.
But now the naming of the film was an issue for us.We tried naming all the names like Amchi Mumbai,Mumbai life,Love you Mumbai but all these names were quite common.We wanted something new and innovative .Two hours in vain and we later decided to have some lunch and one of my friend suggested to have missal pav but suddenly the other friend said “Mumbai missal”.We it once,twice,thrice and we found a name finally.(Misal meant for us a mixture of all people as a methaphor of a special cuisine in Maharashtra and in Mumbai.
We got the film finally edited and was shortlisted among top twenty short films at the MAMI film festival.Though we didn’t win the top prize but the journey in making the film was mesmerising and fun for us.As said..”When we believe in ourselves the entire world conspires with you”.Even when I wa sitting at the station unemployed and then making short films using real characters from real location with a budget of rupees 3000
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