With a Christopher Nolan film under her belt now, veteran actor Dimple Kapadia is raring to go. The actor who has been working in the film industry for close to 50 years now, says it is a new start for her.

“I have been here and I have always been here. If work comes along, yes I am looking forward to work more. This film (Tenet) has really infused life back into me. I really needed that adrenaline shot... You know... like ‘come on, get up’. That is what it has done for me and yes, I am looking forward to what all I am going to do in the future,” shares the 63-year-old.

Does she believe that now post a Nolan film in her resume, people in Bollywood will see her in a new light?

“I don’t know. I have been here in the industry for 50 years. I don’t think they would look at me differently. I have been here too long,” says the actor, who landed her first acting assignment at the age of 16 and her first film, Bobby, released in 1973.

Talking about her experience of working with Nolan, the actor says it was a dream even to get a chance to work with the acclaimed director. “Are you kidding me? It is every actor’s dream. I consider myself extremely fortunate,” she quickly responds.

While she could not believe that she actually got a call for a Nolan film initially, Kapadia says she wasn’t immediately convinced about the film because she was wary of auditioning. “They said I had to do an audition and I don’t do an audition. And then my children and grandchildren told me to go for it. I said to myself that ‘I got to get over my fear and give it a chance.’ If I can get through it, then I can do it. When I got the part I was more than just elated, I was terrified. I was like, ‘Yes, I got it, but will I be able to deliver with all my fears and insecurities’,” she shares.

But soon she realised that her fears were unfounded. “It was stupid of me because once you are in his hand, he takes care of everything. So you just have to show up. He knows exactly what he wants from his actors,” she concludes.

TENET’S CHINA AND USA PERFORMANCE BELOW EXPECTATIONS BUT NOT ALL HOPE IS LOST

Last week, we discussed how Tenet has opened very well in Canada and international markets. The film released in these territories in the last week of August. This development gave a lot of hope that the Christopher Nolan-directed flick would do even better in its home market USA when it releases there on September 3. Also, China, where the film arrived on September 4, has been creating history with its box office numbers. Hence, fans and trade looked forward to its release in these two countries eagerly.

Sadly, the numbers are below par. In the USA, it earned just $20 million, despite the Labour Day weekend holiday. Even in China, the opening was not as expected and over the weekend, it managed to accumulate just $30 million. The China numbers couldn’t be justified since the box office has picked there hugely. The local film The Eight Hundred, which had amassed $277 million as of August 30, managed to take its collection to the $325 million mark by September 4. Hence, for Tenet to do meager numbers was disappointing.

But when it comes to the USA, there’s still hope. 30% of the cinemas are still shut, in some of the major cities. As a result, a section of trade experts feel that in that regard, the collections are impressive. They believe that slowly and gradually, it will get more people and once more theatres resume operations, the collections will increase. On the other hand, in the last weekend of August, Tenet had managed to earn around $53 million in Canada and international markets. That number jumped to $132 million approx in a week. Hence, the total collection till September 7 of Tenet was around $200 million.

Experts believe that considering its budget and other costs, it’ll need to collect around $450-500 million to break even. Nothing can be said as of now since we are living in unprecedented times. Tenet might not be able to make it to that figure. On the other hand, it has chances of doing so because of the pent-up demand. Not to forget, it’s still to be released in many countries like Hong Kong, Mexico, Japan, Romania, Brazil etc and also in India. Hence, collections can sustain or even increase in the coming weeks.

Regardless of its eventual box office fate, the producers of Tenet deserve praise for having the guts to release the film this year itself. The Coronavirus pandemic has spread rapidly, prompting many studios to release their big-ticket films to 2020-end or 2021. But Warner Bros and Nolan were determined to release their much-awaited flick as soon as there was some degree of normalcy. Many felt this move was suicidal and predicted the film would bomb badly. The makers however have proven them wrong. Tenet’s performance, though not huge, has surely given hope to many filmmakers across the world to release their films right away instead of waiting for the pandemic to end.

With talk of cinemas reopening soon, the industry debates if Christopher Nolan’s newest thriller will make it to the country
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 30, 2020)

In the midst of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Christopher Nolan’s espionage thriller, Tenet, will release in 70 countries in a phased-out manner, between August 26 and September 18. These include UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Spain among others. India is missing from the list as theatres are yet to open here. But Mohan Umrotkar, CEO, Carnival Cinemas, is confident that Tenet will be the first film to open in India and give a sense of confidence to other filmmakers to follow suit.

“We are awaiting government approval. We don’t have a date yet, but hopefully, cinema halls will open within the next 12-15 days,” Umrotkar informs.

Trade analyst Komal Nahta endorses this, saying theatres are looking to reopen in August with limited seating. “The government has suggested 25 per cent occupancy, the film industry wants 50 per cent. It’s all ifs and buts for now, but Tenet should be the first major release,” he asserts. Manoj Desai, Executive Director, G7 Multiplex and Maratha Mandir, however, is not too optimistic. “I have not received any notification yet and with Coronavirus at its peak, I don’t think theatres will open in August,” he says.

Shibasish Sarkar, CEO, Reliance Entertainment, who has two big films— Sooryavanshi and ’83—which have been announced for release on Diwali and Christmas respectively, is equally wary. “There have been talks of opening cinemas in India in August, but with 50,000 cases every day, I think it will eventually happen in a phased-out manner, state by state. Meanwhile, we’ll be keenly observing the box-office trend of Tenet across the globe. It will be a case study for us as a Christopher Nolan film is much sought after by the audiences,” he reasons, adding that their tent-pole films will be targeting a release in 80 to 100 countries.

MUMBAI MIRROR (April 21, 2020)

On Monday, Shah Rukh Khan agreed to a quick #AskSRK session on Twitter, asking his fans to keep it short “because I have to go and do.... nothing ... for a bit before I do some more of it later.”

When quizzed on the Coronavirus lockdown, he quipped with his trademark wit, “Inspite of contributing to the population boom, having three kids to be with is a treat. They are in all shapes and sizes, so the day goes by being with them each for a couple of hours. Then, spend rest of the day cleaning up their toys!”

He went on to add that he has learnt the need to slow down a bit, look at and feel life and nature a bit more, rather than seeking instant gratification 24/7. However, when a fan sought his help to quit smoking, he told him honestly that he is “looking for answers in the wrong place”. That wasn’t the only dig SRK took at himself. When asked about the last time he’d not left home for a month, he replied, “Most of last year”.

And when someone pointed out that Aamir Khan would be releasing Laal Singh Chaddha, Salman Khan, Radhe, and Akshay Kumar is releasing many movies while he was only offering excuse, he mock sighed, “Yaar yehi pehle aap...pehle aap mein pista jaa raha hoon...kya karoon.”

When someone suggested he sign a film, asap, he shot back, “Abe sign to kar doon...abhi shooting kaun karega!” To another, asking for details, he replied, “Is it alright if I can forward the scripts to you also? Don’t stress will do lots of films, my man.”

And when someone else insisted his next film should be a mass entertainer, the actor deadpanned, “Bhai social aur physical distancing mein...Mass ki baat mat bol please... will do everything don’t worry”.

Rumour mills have been abuzz of a collaboration with Rajkumar Hirani and when asked to choose between Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan, he said, “Both are awesome and I have met them... but Raju apna sa lagta hai...nahi?” Wow, is that a confirmation?

The best came when a user pointing out that decline is inevitable, asked him how one would know when it’s the right time to change careers and call it quits if you are a superstar? SRK was quick on the uptake, “Wouldn’t know... try asking a superstar. I am just a King unfortunately...”

Producers Guild CEO celebrates Mumbai's inclusion in UNESCO's list of most creative cities; sees it as an opportunity to further attract filmmakers
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 2, 2019)

A day after Mumbai found a spot in UNESCO's creative cities list in the film category, Kulmeet Makkar, CEO of the Producers Guild of India, calls the title a defining one. "It was important for Mumbai to get this recognition. We have a film culture that spans 100 years. Across the world, our films are perceived as brand ambassadors of India. This title sends the message that Mumbai is [India's] film centre," Makkar says.

Pointing out that following Christopher Nolan's shooting stint in India, the government is keen to promote similar endeavours, he adds, "There will be the creation of tourism avenues, and better employment structures. Mumbai needs to emerge as an investment-friendly city. People are curious to explore the city. Facilitating a simpler process [to conduct] shooting is something that the government will work on. We are striving to reduce the number of permissions [required to conduct shoots]." He also suggests that the government plans to give incentives to foreign producers.

Makkar says that the constantly upgraded technology employed in films, and the rise of OTT platforms have increased the investments made into the business. "UNESCO's title comes at a time when [the scope for employment] has quadrupled, owing to the OTT platforms. We need to simplify processes. For instance, if we were to shoot at a railway station, accessing each inch of the station would require a different set of permissions, because it could be under the jurisdiction of different police stations. The producer or on-ground staff needs to engage with multiple stakeholders. It is necessary to create a single-window process for content makers."

Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; October 16, 2019)

Capturing ‘the flavour of India’ has been one of the main agendas of most foreign films and TV shows shot in India. However, till around a couple of years back, delays in getting visas for foreign crews, the red tape stretching the permissions process to three-six months sometimes, and hassles in the temporary import of shooting equipment, among other issues, meant very few foreign projects were actually shot here. The India producers of international projects say that whenever the script has an India connect, foreign filmmakers want to shoot in India. However, when shooting here seemed impossible, the makers would either scrap the India portion of the shoot or recreate it in another country.

But now, with an easier permissions process, thanks to the Film Facilitation Office (FFO), and a special visa category for foreign crews filming in India, the number of projects being shot in the country has gone up. From three-four projects in a year, the number has gone up to over 10 projects in 2019 alone till now, including Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, which he shot in Mumbai last month.

Currently, five major foreign projects are being shot in different parts of the country. Line producers and India producers of foreign projects tell us what has changed in the permissions process and what more can be done to attract foreign filmmakers to India.


CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S TENET GOT SHOOTING PERMISSIONS IN A WEEK
A foreign filmmaker, on an average, has to get over 31 licences to shoot a film in India. However, in the last four years, the I&B ministry, through FFO, has worked to reduce the time taken to procure permits for foreign crews.

Pravesh Sahni, India producer of films like Slumdog Millionaire, Lion, and Hotel Mumbai, says, “The FFO has smoothened the process for international projects and it has helped more international filmmakers shoot in India. After getting permits to shoot in India, we have to apply to local agencies for shooting at that particular location. The facilitators and infrastructure scenario is improving in India. These days, the permits are being issued faster. In the last couple of years, they’ve brought tremendous change in the filming for international films in India.”

Last month when Christopher Nolan came to shoot his upcoming film Tenet in Mumbai, he got the permission within a week. Dileep Singh Rathore, the India producer of Tenet, says, “I recently completed a seven-day schedule of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet in India, and it was only possible because we got the permissions in time. As someone who has faced a lot of trouble in getting permissions in the past, now, it feels like a red carpet has been rolled out for foreign projects in India. I have four other international projects in the pipeline to shoot in India, but I can’t disclose their names.”

As foreign filmmakers often want to capture aerial scenes, a separate department has been introduced to cater to these requests. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) provides permission for aerial shootings in the country. Dileep Singh Rathore adds, “A few years back, to get permission to shoot a helicopter scene for Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises (which had some scene shot in Jodhpur), I had applied five months in advance, but I never got permission. But for Tenet, we got the permission to use a helicopter very quickly.”


The crew shooting a scene of Garth Davis’ Lion , starring Dev Patel, in India

NO VISA ISSUES FOR FOREIGN CREWS NOW
In 2017, the I&B ministry consulted the MHA and the MEA, and introduced a special visa category for foreign filmmakers.

Alan McAlex, the India producer of two international projects, one being shot in UP and another film scheduled for shoot in Ahmedabad next month, says, “Quick visa clearances for the foreign crews is one of the reasons why more foreign filmmakers are coming to shoot in India. For shooting in India, foreign filmmakers have to get clearance from the I&B Ministry. The ministry officials coordinate with the Indian embassies abroad, and help in getting visa clearances faster.”

For foreign filmmakers, getting the permission to shoot in India used to take five-six months, which has now reduced to three-four weeks.

TEMPORARY IMPORT OF FILMING EQUIPMENT AT CUSTOMS USED TO BE A HUGE PAIN
For foreign filmmakers, the biggest hurdle to shooting in India is customs clearance because they have to import film shooting equipment temporarily. Dileep Singh Rathore says, “For Tenet, we had to bring IMAX cameras and other equipment as filmmaking process abroad is more advanced. When foreign filmmakers bring equipment to India they have to spend a lot of time in getting customs clearance. While this time the process was very smooth, the temporary import of filming equipment has been a big problem area for us.”

‘ASI, DGCA, RAILWAYS CAN FURTHER IMPROVE PERMISSION PROCESS’
When we asked India producers of foreign projects about the departments where the permissions process can be improved, the most common reply was the airports, the ASI and the railways. Pravesh, who has also worked on Homeland, and is currently working on two international shows, says, “We have been discussing the timelines of shoots with the ASI. The official time is from 6 am, but to capture the sunrise at 6 am, the crew needs to set up at 4 am. Similarly, for airport shoots, the permissions process takes weeks to months. Another problem that we face is that multiple permissions are needed from railways because it is divided into different zones — a centralised system will help filmmakers.”

To shoot at a railway station or on the railway tracks, permission is needed from the zone the station or the track falls in. For some areas, permission is needed from two zones which doubles the fee. During the shooting of Lion at Khandwa, the producers had to get permission from two zones. A security clearance from the Railway Board in Delhi is also needed.

Talking about incentives, Pravesh Sahni says, “Countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Sri Lanka offer incentives, but we don’t have as many incentives in India. I have been discussing it with the I&B officials that if a filmmaker is spending over Rs 2 million in India, he/she should be offered some incentive to shoot here.” The production houses say that incentives also help in attracting a number of independent foreign filmmakers who submit their work to film festivals, and it can position India better on the map of shooting locations.

IS INDIA A DESTINATION FOR FOREIGN FILMMAKERS?
Alan McAlex says, “We can definitely say that more foreign filmmakers are interested in filming in India, but India is still not a shooting destination. One of the reasons is that international filmmakers won’t get extras here. They can easily go to East Europe and replicate New York there, and they will get a crowd of 2000 extras, but if they want to do it in India, they’ll have to bring those extras along with them.”
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MAKING SHOOTING IN INDIA AN EASIER PROCESS FOR INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKERS

Myriad clearances would often scare, confuse, or simply tire out international filmmakers looking to work in India. To remove the red tape involved in obtaining filming permits in India, the Film Facilitation Office (FFO), operated by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), which is the single window clearance system for international film shoots in India, subsequently went online. In 2017, at the Cannes Film Festival, India specially focused on promoting film tourism and encouraging international studios to shoot in the country.
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PREVIOUS PROJECTS WHICH EARNED INDIA A BAD REPUTATION

In 2012, the Ministry of Railways did not give permission to shoot an action sequence on top of a moving train for the James Bond movie, Skyfall, because they felt that India would be shown in a poor light. The 2018 release, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, the sixth in the series, which opens with a scene in Kashmir and ends with it too, didn’t get the required permissions to shoot in the valley. So director Christopher McQuarrie created Kashmir in New Zealand. He was quoted as saying, “It was a pretty crazy sequence. People were very nervous about us coming there and doing that. So while we were shooting in New Zealand, we still had this (feel)... We liked the flavour of India, so (somehow) we managed to put it in (the film).” Line producers tell us that for every film which doesn’t get permission to shoot in India, or its shooting gets disrupted, it stops five other filmmakers from shooting in the country.
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PERMISSIONS PROCESS SMOOTHER BUT MORE CAN BE DONE, SAY INDIA PRODUCERS OF FOREIGN FILMS

From three-four projects a year to over 10 international projects being shot in India in 2019 alone, an easier permissions process has boosted India’s image as a shooting location. While the Film Facilitation Office is giving shooting permissions faster, a special visa category has been introduced for foreign crews filming here and customs clearance of filmmaking equipment is also a smoother process. From five-six months, the time frame of getting permissions has now reduced to three-four weeks. However, line producers say that the permissions process in departments like the Indian Railways and the ASI, and in airports could be further improved, along with offering incentives to foreign filmmakers.

Denzil Smith on working with namesake Denzel Washington’s actor-son and filmmaker Christopher Nolan
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 26, 2019)

Mirror had earlier reported (September 10) that besides Dimple Kapadia, another Indian actor, Denzil Smith, is a part of Christopher Nolan’s next directorial, Tenet. The Hollywood filmmaker was in Mumbai on September 13 to shoot the India portions of the film in a five-day schedule.

Now, we have learnt that during the Mumbai schedule, the team shot with Denzil, who plays Dimple’s husband in the film, at a residential property in Breach Candy, which appears in the film as their house. “I play Dimple ji’s husband, a powerful and well-connected arms dealer, Dimple ji has a prominent place in the film and was a part of the film’s earlier schedule in Estonia,” says the 58-year-old actor, adding that he met Nolan for the first time only this month.

He goes on to add, “But his assistant directors and the costume team were in touch with me. When I met Christopher for the first time, I told him how lovely it was to meet him, and he thanked me for doing the film. It was an extraordinary experience to work with him. Our industry should learn how a film shoot is organised and successfully carried out, especially when there are many variables and a big scale involved.” On how he landed the role, Denzil, who has previously appeared in Gurinder Chadha’s Viceroy’s House, John Madden’s The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox, informs that he was in Bangkok when he got a call from a Los Angeles based casting agent. “He asked me to send an audition tape and was later informed that I have bagged the part.”

While cast members John David Washington and Robert Pattinson were also a part of the Mumbai schedule, Denzil had scenes only with the former. “I shot for an intense scene with John, which is an important part of the narrative. John was amazed to meet me as his father’s name is also Denzel (award-winning American actor-filmmaker Denzel Washington) as he had never met another actor by the same name. He is a diligent and committed actor and most of all, he is a lovely person,” Denzil concludes.

Christopher Nolan outside the Breach Candy high-rise on the last day of the film’s Mumbai schedule

Here are the inside details of the schedule that was wrapped up on Friday. The director and his crew left for Los Angeles yesterday
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; September 22, 2019)

After shooting in Mumbai for the past week, Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan left the city at 3 am yesterday, while his crew followed him later in the day. The director landed in Mumbai on September 13 with actors Robert Pattinson, John David Washington and cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema (Dunkirk, Interstellar) for the shoot of his upcoming spy action-thriller, Tenet. The shoot kicked off at the Gateway of India on September 16 where Dimple Kapadia also joined the cast. The Oscar nominee was easily spotted at various locations in South Mumbai. Other than India, the film is also being shot in the US, Estonia, Italy, Norway, United Kingdom and Denmark.

BT got a glimpse into the shoot at various locations in Mumbai. Without much hullabaloo, Nolan carried out an elaborate shoot on the land, sea and air.

TEN-DAY SHOOT WRAPPED UP IN FIVE DAYS
The director made the most of his time in the city. We were told, “Nolan doesn’t indulge in small talk, and even if he does, it isn’t an irrelevant conversation.” Even the Mumbai rains couldn’t deter him. Our source shared, “He’s driven, but unpredictable. He was to shoot only at Colaba Causeway and Yacht Club on the first day, but he finished those scenes quickly and got into a launch at the Gateway of India to start shooting the scenes that were scheduled for the next day. Within two days, he moved to the fourth location — a highrise at Breach Candy. There, the crew shot from 4 pm to 6 am and finished the stunt scenes in just three days.”

Nolan finished his ten-day schedule just in five days. The Mumbai shoot ended on Friday at 7 pm. Nolan and crew, who were stationed on the footpath opposite the high-rise with the cameras, clapped and congratulated each other after calling it a wrap. Nolan was the first to leave for the SOBO hotel, and his team followed soon after. They left for Los Angeles yesterday, ahead of their schedule.

THE SHOOT STARTED WITH A TRADITIONAL PUJA
The crew of the film was seen performing a puja in the wee hours of Monday morning at the Colaba Causeway market before the shoot began.

CHAND RESTAURANT SET WAS JUST A BACK-UP; NOLAN STUCK TO REAL LOCATIONS
No scenes were shot at the restaurant set that was erected for the film on the sea-facing promenade near the Gateway of India. Named Chand restaurant, we hear, the set was strictly a backup in case it became impossible for Nolan to shoot in the sea as planned. The filmmaker stuck to real locations in South Mumbai instead — Colaba Causeway market, Cafe Mondegar, Yacht Club, Gateway Of India, a Breach Candy highrise, an adjacent smaller building and terraces of both these buildings. A local vegetable and fast food market were created in these buildings’ compound for the shoot.

THE RAJASTHAN CONNECTION
At Nolan’s Gateway shoot, men and women dressed in traditional Rajasthani attire were seen. Apparently, Nolan loved the outfits, which he recalled seeing during his Jodhpur shoot at Mehrangarh Fort for The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Apparently, he asked his team to fly more people straight from Rajasthan to Mumbai, instead of dressing up locals in that outfit to retain authenticity.

HELICOPTER, STUNTS AND TRAFFIC
On Friday (the last day of the shoot) a helicopter was used to film some aerial shots of the Breach Candy high-rise and the sea. Shooting on the main road of an area like Breach Candy was well-managed despite high traffic and rains. Vehicles were allowed to pass, but they weren’t allowed to halt near the shoot.

NO STARRY BEHAVIOUR
The actors or the director didn’t have a coterie of staff accompanying them. They moved around freely and the security wasn’t overwhelming either. They predominantly ensured the shooting area wasn’t overcrowded by puzzled onlookers as they could disrupt the shoot by accidentally walking into the frame. The crew also took very few breaks to ensure that the work was completed at a fast pace.

FANS HAVE A FIELD DAY
Be it at the Colaba Market or Breach Candy, a few lucky fans got pictures clicked with the ace director. However, photography was strictly prohibited on the sets. Fans were happy to meet him and later tell us their tales. Lydia Almeida, who got her young son Ian, to watch the shoot, said, “We live in the building that they were shooting the film in. My son’s exams were on, but he insisted he wanted to meet Nolan. We got to meet him!”

Another diehard fan Mehul, who met him at Colaba said, “The universe conspired and I got to meet him. I was crossing the signal towards Regal when I spotted him. I was nervous, but I told him that I had come to Jodhpur in 2011 to meet him, but couldn’t. It finally happened in Mumbai!”


The filmmaker with fans Lydia Almeida and her son Ian after his Mumbai shoot was wrapped up