Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; October 25, 2015)

Mary Kom’s biopic, starring Priyanka Chopra, was not shot in the boxing champ’s home state, Manipur. The makers preferred to opt for Himachal Pradesh instead. The North East has not been on Bollywood’s radar as a shoot locale. The seven sisters — the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura — despite their pristine locations, are missing from Bollywood’s map.

Over the years, producers have preferred to log air miles to East European nations (Bollywood’s current hotspot) or traverse from Alaska to New Zealand.

As National award-winning filmmaker Jahnu Barua, who hails from Assam, points out, “The rest of India has been allergic to the North East since independence. There is this fear psychosis as it is the border area. They just do not want to take notice of the region.” Fortunately, that seems to be changing now.

Play it loud
The sequel of 'Rock On!!' (2008) is presently being shot in Shillong, Meghalaya. The film revolves around a music band, and Meghalaya is emerging as the rock capital of India.

The makers of the film — which stars Farhan Akhtar, Shraddha Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Prachi Desai -- wanted to capture the music festival scene in Shillong which is now on the go-to-list for rock music aficionados.

Filmmaker Biswajeet Bora, who is from Assam, points out, “Most filmmakers feel it is not feasible to shoot with big stars in the area due to the lack of fancy five-star hotels, but things have changed a lot in the region. They have to put their fears to rest.”

Bora shot his recent film, 'Aisa Yeh Jahaan', starring Palash Sen and Ira Dubey in the Golaghat district of Assam.

Another project
Close on the heels of the 'Rock On 2' unit, is Vishal Bhardwaj, who is shooting his Saif Ali Khan-Shahid Kapoor-Kangna Ranaut starrer 'Rangoon' in Arunachal Pradesh. Knowing B-Town’s herd mentality, this might just have others following suit.

As 'Rangoon' is set against the backdrop of World War II, the region lends itself as the perfect location. Bharadwaj’s film will unfold in Ziro valley in Arunachal Pradesh which is considered a heritage site.

With two film productions in the North East, Bollywood is likely to wake up from its slumber and tap the region’s full potential.

Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal was part of a task force to develop the region as a shoot location. He says, “Five years ago, the Meghalaya government was keen that Hindi films be shot in the state. I was part of the initiative to promote it as a destination, but we had just one meeting and then things became quiet on that front.”

Benegal visited several breathtaking locations in the state. He says, “I wish I could have shot a film there. When I visited the place, I was stunned by the natural beauty. The Meghalaya government showed great interest. We visited several spots in the state which could be ideal locations. They were keen to offer several incentives to attract filmmakers, but things did not take off.”

Logistical issues
What Benegal saw as a possible deterrent were the connectivity and infrastructural requirements. As he puts it, “A film unit consists of a large number of people all their needs have to be taken care of.” But Barua feels what matters more is the mindset, rather than the logistics, “People need to understand the region. They need to know about the area. Due to the Mongoloid physical features of the people, they are considered to be different from the rest of the country.”

Barua always shoots his films in Assam to highlight the culture and politics of the state. “Most Bollywood stories do not match the North East region. The stories do not reflect the people of the region. They feel you cannot have people with Mongoloid physical features in their films. It is all in the thinking; it needs to change.”

This sentiment is echoed by actor Adil Hussain, who is from Goalpara in Assam. Best remembered as Sridevi’s husband in 'English Vinglish' (2012), he says, “It is because of the attitude of the political class that the area has been neglected. Films are being shot all over India, even Kashmir. Bollywood only looks at commercial viability. It is driven by profits, rather than art. They would rather go to an exotic foreign locale than go to the North East. The North East is considered a sensitive area, they do not want to put their money at stake by shooting in the region.”

Birthday blast
In November 2013, when Aamir Khan chose to bring in his wife Kiran Rao’s 40th birthday in Assam, it at least made Bollywood realise the region’s tourist potential. The star was accompanied by filmmakers Karan Johar and Ayan Mukerji. Though they raved about the state’s natural beauty, planning a film in the state remained a distant dream.


Unsafe terrain
Safety seems to be a big concern for filmmakers. Benegal explains, “Decades of insurgency and unrest has a lot to contribute to Bollywood skipping the north east. But Bora has a different opinion, “Things have changed a lot now. There were issues, but all that is now the past. There are several Western tourists who visit the Kaziranga National Park in Assam. Meghalaya has already become a rock music hotspot, so why can’t Bollywood shoot here?”

Things may be changing, but as Barua maintains mindsets do not alter, at least not soon.

“The people of the terrain have gone through a lot,” says actress Ira Dubey, who shot in Assam for her film, 'Aisa Yeh Jahaan'. “There have been natural disasters and political unrest, but what I observed after spending time in Assam during the shoot, was the resilience of the people. There is so much positivity, the people are warm and clean-hearted.”

Ira also learnt the Assamese folk dance, Bihu, for a song (pictured, above). “It looks simple, but there are some delicate hand movements which you have to get right.”

Talking about her experience of shooting in Assam, she says, “There was a scary episode when we were flying in a chopper from Arunachal Pradesh to Assam. We had to do an emergency landing, but we were fine. Later, I learnt that the two pilots, who had flown us, had perished in a crash.” So is this fear psychosis that makes industry folk keep off the North East for shoots? Mary Kom (pictured below) director Omung Kumar chose not to comment about why he did not shoot in Manipur for his film. But for his upcoming biopic on Sarabjit Singh, he plans to shoot in the actual locations in Punjab.

So why did he skip Manipur? He has no answer — like most of the B-Town folk who just do not seem to want to tread the region.




When Bollywood made an exception

>> Deepak Bahry’s 'Kurbaan' (1991) with Salman Khan and Ayesha Jhulka was shot in Shillong in Meghalaya. The red jeep used in the film by Sallu belonged to a local store owner in the Laban area of Shillong, who became a star himself after the shoot.

>> Rakesh Roshan’s 'Koyla' (1997) starring Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit was shot in Arunachal Pradesh. One of the film’s tracks, Tanhai Tanhai, was filmed in the Shungetser Lake and Nuranang Falls in the Tawang district of the state. After the shoot, Shungetser Lake came to be referred to as the Madhuri Lake.

>> Kalpana Lajmi shot her Naseeruddin Shah-Shabana Azmi starrer 'Ek Pal' (1986) in Shillong, Meghalaya, and Jorhat, Assam. Her Raveena Tandon-starrer Daman (2001) was shot in Guwahati, Assam.

>> Jahnu Barua’s 'Har Pal' was shot in Shillong, Meghalaya, with Preity Zinta and Shiny Ahuja. It was filmed in 2007, but did not see light of day.

Mohar Basu (BOMBAY TIMES; July 23, 2015)

Malay Desai (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 12, 2015)

When the government finally bestowed upon Bollywood that coveted 'industry status' in 2001, the film fraternity had much cause to celebrate. For fourteen years, filmmakers and producers have enjoyed the benefits of organised finance and other regulatory advantages. Parity, however, hasn't just been limited to commerce. Sadly, the Hindi film industry has demonstrated an apathy towards the environment that matches the indifference of its many other industrial counterparts. According to environmental experts that were interviewed for the purpose of this story, a single mainstream film emits anywhere between 300 to 600 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide during the processes of production and post-production. One would have to plant at least 2,000 trees to offset that damage. The industry produces a minimum of 1,500 certified films every year. It doesn't take a pessimist to do the final math. Television and advertising too add to ever-increasing pollution. Worse still, no laws or regulations are in place to monitor the environmental impact of our entertainment industry.

For entertainment's sake?

Everyday work on a TV or film shoot can include a vast number of environmental oversights. The elaborate sets are made from plywood and plaster, diesel-guzzling generators provide electricity, transporting the crew and equipment leaves a trail of carbon emissions and then there is the common sight of wastefulness. Car explosions and vanity vans only fan the flames. In order to nullify the ecological impact, one would perhaps need to plant a forest.

While interning at one such shoot, Siddharth Nakai, an aspiring film maker, was witness to a sight that changed the course of his career. "A part of a tree was blocking the director's frame, so he simply got it chopped. It left me stunned, and led me to more research. I studied the regulations and monitoring of our industry's green practices. Of course, there were none," Nakai recalls. His subsequent participation in Al Gore's Climate Reality Project further highlighted for him the ignorance among India's film and television studios.

After getting himself certified as a consultant, Nakai spent over two years corresponding with nearly all of India's big film production houses. He hit a wall each time. "Most of them would not see the link between carbon emission and their productions. Those which did, didn't feel it worthy to invest time and money in it," he recalls. Three weeks ago, however, Nakai was finally hired by a popular television studio.

Dr Rashneh Pardiwala, Founder-Director of the Centre for Environmental Research and Education (CERE) is also of the opinion that the industry's reticent outlook is often a major obstacle. "Only the heavy industry and manufacturing sectors are perceived to be heavy polluters, but the film industry's impact on atmospheric carbon is significant," she explains.

Inconvenient truths

Having visited several film and TV sets as part of his research, Nakai believes that even if a director or studio boss is eco-sensitive, the wastage on shoots doesn't get affected unless there is a strict mandate."

Filmmaker and an active proponent of eco-friendly ways, Shekhar Kapur says, "Usually, that focus on minimizing waste is the job of the first assistant director, and that of those involved in line production.Yet, as a director, I see it as my responsibility to ensure that the locations we use, whether indoors or outdoors, are left in the same condition we found them. I make a system of waste disposal on the set, and everyone just abides by it. I would be very unhappy to learn that a film or TV show I was directing had in some way harmed the environment."

Rasneh Pardiwala has realised that most producers are eco-friendly only when it is convenient. "We've reached out to many large production houses and found that even if the directors are open minded, the producers say they'd make such efforts only after the film in question has been declared a hit." She goes on to make a simple calculation. "Imagine, all those films which make hundreds of crores - even if they put one per cent of those profits to this cause, it would make such a difference." Pardiwala's CERE recently used internationally accepted tools and the greenhouse gas (GHG) protocol to study the environmental footprint of the yet-to-release film Aisa Yeh Jahaan. "To offset the 78.7 metric tonnes of CO2, we planted 560 trees in Bhiwandi and Thane," she informs.

Greener on the other side

Aisa Yeh Jahaan, which stars singer Palash Sen, is now promoting itself as India's first carbon-neutral film. Internationally, it has become common for film studios, festivals and events to declare themselves carbon-neutral. For a better public image, they agree to remove as much carbon dioxide as they emit. "Hollywood's film boards and commissions have set guidelines for producers to monitor their environmental impact and act responsibly," Nakai explains. He adds that big studios such as Disney and Fox have invested in people and infrastructure to make their films greener. In Europe too, film guilds give guidelines, tools and regulations for sustainable productions. "Most of the world's best practices aren't practiced here, even by the same studios," he adds.


Soaps wash the climate

Films aren't the only offenders that environmentalists have on their radar. TV, they say, bears an equal burden of guilt. "A 21-minute episode takes about 16 hours, or two days to shoot. With looming deadlines, ecological concerns aren't top priority," Nakai explains. A senior TV producer, confesses on the condition of anonymity, "If the show's TRPs tank, it is shelved and a new production commences, as we must keep recovering costs of the rented studios. In this cycle, I don't think anyone wants to care for what's environmentally correct!" Conservation Action's Debi Goenka, isn't at all impressed by the cavalier ethic he sees. "Today, Film City is filled with areas of dirt, garbage, light and noise pollution, and there is a threat of fire to the adjacent National Park. Shoots are often permitted within the tourism zone. Vanity vans block roads and generators run constantly," he tells us.

For all its sustainability efforts abroad, Disney India refused to comment when asked about their production norms, but the Zee Group, which currently runs 32 TV channels, responded with promise. "With a clear focus on environmental strategy, we aim to reduce our carbon emissions by 25 per cent in the next two years," said Roland Landers, Zee's Corporate Brand Head. City's environmentalists can only hope that there are no holes in Landers' rhetoric. Surely the ozone already has enough.

MAKE YOUR PRODUCTION GREEN

Researcher and eco consultant, Siddharth Nakai and Environmentalist Dr Rashneh Pardiwala recommend how studios can create greener productions:
» Conventional vanity vans guzzle 80 litres of diesel a day. Encourage actors to invest in solar powered ones
» Electric generators use 20 litres of diesel an hour. Prefer grid-connected electricity
» Plan better to reduce crew's travel, especially by air. Source equipment locally
» For sets, reuse and recycle materials. Don't light all areas when only one is in operation
» Prefer vegetarian meals on set, use steel plates and a water cooler instead of plastic bottles
» Use reusable batteries for sound recording equipment

Kasmin Fernandes (BOMBAY TIMES; January 8, 2015)