As told to Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 11, 2019)

The first film I signed was Sajid Nadiadwala’s Waqt Hamara Hai and my first release was Balwaan. I got into films thanks to photographer J P Singhal saab. Raju Mawani, who sadly passed away in October, was making his first film as a producer with Deepak Anand as the director.

I had never thought I’d become an actor. But when I got the opportunity, I was like, “Mauka mila hai toh I’ll do my best… chauka maarne ka”. I trained with (the late acting coach) Roshan Taneja saab for a few weeks, and when it was time to shoot, I would mug up my lines. Initially, I was a little nervous. Divya Bharti was the leading lady of the film and she was already a star; very spontaneous and brilliant at everything she did. Gradually, with the prep and all, I got comfortable. Then, there was also Danny saab (Denzongpa).

By the time we began shooting, my nerves had settled. My first shot was an action scene—I had to jump off the bridge at Kemps Corner. It was action and I felt it was up my alley. It charged me up. Since it was the neighbourhood I grew up in, people I had grown up around had gathered on the first day of the shoot to root for me. At the back of my mind, I knew I had to give my best and I couldn’t disappoint them. Thankfully, the shoot went well.

Looking back, Suniel Shetty became an action hero purely because of the efforts of Danny saab. He had shot with Amit ji (Amitabh Bachchan), who had lifted him for a scene in Khuda Gawah. It was he who suggested that I carry him on my shoulders/back for an action scene. His logic was that after an actor like Amit ji had done it, the audience would believe that this new actor is strong, too. So, it’s also because of Amit ji’s legendary image that I got set as an actor. (Action director) Ravi Dewan put his heart in the action. The entire team helped me settle in the film.

When you have such strong co-actors, it makes a big difference. I learnt a lot during my first film. It was Danny saab who first told me to not work on Sundays and to spend the day with family. “Do your own thing, enjoy your life. Don’t be a slave to work,” he told me.

Even though Sajid (Nadiadwala) bhai signed me first, he had no qualms about Balwaan releasing first. He’s still the same person today and takes care of his team like before. Not to forget, there were also people like Rajiv Rai and Shabbir Boxwala, among others, because of whose involvement, my career took off.

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

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; September 20, 2019)

Hollywood director Christopher Nolan has been shooting his upcoming spy actionthriller Tenet in Mumbai for the last four days. Known to relentlessly pursue what he wants, the filmmaker seems to be in no mood to waste a single minute. Going by the speed at which Nolan has been shooting, it looks like the team will complete their Mumbai schedule on Friday, and will fly out on Saturday to Los Angeles, ahead of their planned stay.

The action has now shifted from the Gateway of India and Colaba Causeway to Kemps Corner. While the team previously shot in the daytime and the outdoors, the current portion is being filmed in the late hours of the day at a high-rise in South Mumbai. We hear, an apartment has been booked for the shoot, along with the terrace and an adjacent building. Lead actors, Robert Pattinson and John David Washington (son of Denzel Washington), shot for the stunt scenes. Dimple Kapadia was also present here.

While it was hard to tell if it was Robert Pattinson or his stunt double, people witnessed a scene that had two men jumping off the 20-storey building. Those present at the location pointed out that Pattinson’s blonde look (hair colour) in the film is just like Nolan’s in real life, and that makes the two look similar. Following this action sequence, we hear, the team is contemplating shooting a bigger stunt scene. Watch this space for more.