Who can forget Aishwarya Rai Bachchan dancing in the rain in Barso Re (Guru) or Sridevi's seductive blue sari from Kate Nahin Kat Te (Mr India)? The ethereal, romantic beauty of rain songs are imprinted in our collective memory, and they have been a staple of Hindi cinema over the decades. But the shooting of rain songs is quite the opposite of the romance they portray – with logistical challenges, detailed coordination between production departments and an extensive backend crew that must function in sync. This monsoon, we explain the mechanics of a rain song shoot.

Kareena plays a sex worker in Chameli, but the rain song brought out the child within her. Rain songs are difficult to shoot and you have to constantly coordinate with the cinematographer to get the desired effect and the correct camera exposure. I wanted the set to look very realistic, like a Mumbai street in the rains. Kareena was dancing in a sari and there were several rehearsals before the final take, and the outfit kept getting heavier in the water. But the difficulty did not show on her face. Saroj Khan was the choreographer and she ensured that her dance and expressions were perfect. The film was shot in 28 days and we put aside two days just for this song.

No rain song is complete without rain machines that are used to create what production teams call ‘controlled rain’.

Swapnil Bhalerao, who was the production designer for the new Tip Tip Barsa Paani song from Sooryavanshi, says, “We had around 24 water tankers on set for the shooting of the song. For closeup shots, we use three-four nozzles to shower water over the actors. To ensure hygiene, we use alum to purify the water. Some actors demand that mineral water is used for closeups. If the rain song is being shot in winter, the water must be heated as well. While shooting rain songs in the day is relatively easier, for night shoots we have a safety team to look after the electrical setup. The SFX department is in charge of creating thunder and lightning effects in the song.”

Tip Tip Barsa Paani was shot over four days on a set in Hyderabad.

One crucial aspect of a rain song is the makeup of the actors involved, since it needs to stay in place for hours while the song is shot. Makeup artist Suraj Shekhar Sharma, who oversaw Shraddha Kapoor's makeup during the shoot of Cham Cham, says, “We use waterproof high-definition makeup that does not come off, and a primer and fixer to ensure it stays in place. During shot breaks, we keep an eye out to see if a touchup is required. It’s very important to dry their hair between takes so that an actor doesn’t fall ill.”

Cham Cham, which also featured Tiger Shroff, was shot over four days, partly on a set in Mumbai and at a real railway station in Kerala.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s costume was created from fabric sourced from shops in and around Chor bazar in Mumbai. Antique saris and brocade borders with gharchola and bandhani fabric were chosen to create her ghagra-choli in Guru’s iconic Barso Re song.

“The costumes were sturdy, but I was paranoid that the vintage fabric may disintegrate in the pressure of the artificial rain. There were scenes of her jumping into a river and swimming, and swinging from a tree. She had to wear the costumes through the entire course of the shoot, which lasted a couple of days. It would be a disaster if the colour started running from the fabrics. Luckily though, it all worked out fine,” says Ameira Punvani, costume designer of Guru.

Rs. 25-30 lakh is the per day cost of shooting a rain song, depending on the scale of production

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Dancing in the rain is difficult, as there is always the danger of slipping and falling. Lip syncing to the lyrics and having the correct facial expression can also be tough to pull off. Aesthetics go for a toss and it’s important as a choreographer to remember that the dance steps should not be too difficult for the actors to pull off. I was part of a music video for the song Aao Na sung by Vishal Mishra, where I realized first-hand the difficulty of lip syncing in a rain song

- Terence Lewis, choreographer

What’s a good ol’ Bollywood actioner without a gunfight or three? Indeed, the story of how Hindi cinema has depicted arms and armaments is as interesting as the century-plus history of Bollywood itself. The long-barrel revolvers and 303 rifles have been around for decades – see the posters of Dev Anand’s CID or of Sholay, for example – but it’s only in recent years that Hindi films have started matching Hollywood blockbusters bullet for bullet, so to speak.

From espionage thrillers to cross-border wars and gangland dramas, as the scope of the Bollywood action flick grows exponentially, our films now show an astounding array of guns, artillery, tanks, explosions and more. We go behind the scenes to explore how the industry creates all the firepower that is required to make a big bang at the box office.

Action scenes require the maximum planning and pre-production, because there is much at stake in terms of the safety of people involved. Today, with VFX, things have become simpler than what they were 10-15 years ago. During Ek Tha Tiger (2012), we did stunts physically, with 200 foot wooden towers falling from one building to another. In Kabul Express (2006), every gun that you see is real. Those days guns were easily available, and Afghans got us a truckload of Kalashnikovs. We had an Afghan action director, Abdul Basir Mujahid, who insisted on firing a rocket in our honour despite my telling him not to. In the middle of a shot, he jumped off an SUV and fired it and that shot is there in the movie. We were shocked because the whole place resounded with the noise, but Afghanistan being Afghanistan, no one batted an eyelid!

— Kabir Khan, director

My team and I are particular about authenticity, and when we started prepping in India for Uri: The Surgical Strike, we realized that replicas of original guns weren’t easily available here. There are customs issues and getting the guns may take months. We had a choice between going ahead with the AK-47 replicas available here, or trying something new. Luckily, Serbia had opened up a rebate structure, and getting equipment similar to the choppers, Mirages and guns we needed became easier. However, we also did a little jugaad and the night vision goggles were binoculars with a green light inside from Juhu beach. While shooting in Serbia, we could only afford four stunt people. If you watch carefully, the same people play terrorists and armymen and even come back from the dead to play other characters! — Aditya Dhar, director

The Night Manager was a tricky series because it is the story of an arms dealer. We had to ensure that the arms shown were technically correct and matched the stuff used in modern warfare, apart from being visually appealing. After extensive research, we zeroed in on a wish list. Other than a few assault rifles, not many weapons were readily available for filming. Necessity is the mother of invention. We studied and built prototypes of many guns with our SFX partners and made its impact look cinematically as close to the real ones with ample help from our VFX team.

— Sandeep Modi, director

The 1980s and ’90s saw several dacoit films and those needed rifles and double-barrelled guns. Times have changed and films now require M4 carbines and AK-47s, Glocks and Berettas. Even if gun models are limited in real life and we have to repeat them, the audience wants something new in each film. That’s why we have custom-made guns like those seen in Don 2 and Lucifer. when the trigger is pulled, there is a sound like gunfire, which is the cue for the actor. Muzzle flash is later added via VFX. When we are approached for a film, we give the team an album, from which they can select guns. We also recommend the gun that should be used for a particular era, though sometimes we take cinematic liberty if the gun looks good on screen.

— Vishal Tyagi, SFX supervisor and armourer

Research is an important part of our job, and for Tiger Zinda Hai we had to show Baghdad city, Chinooks and other army choppers. We built the set in Abu Dhabi and since a real Chinook would’ve cost Rs. 30 crore, we created mock-ups. Tubelight had Indo-China war sequences and we had a team that made study models and converted normal cars into tanks. For the upcoming Chandu Champion that shows the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, we required an antiaircraft gun that vibrates. We used a drill machine to get the repetitive movement, while the VFX team added the bullets, and the sound department handled the rest. In the past, we would make a mould of mud and create guns from it; today you can just print a dummy gun from websites and the process is effortless. VFX has also made life easier. For example, we built a chopper for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan without the rotating blade, which will be added through VFX. For blast scenes, we create the smoke, while the fire is added via VFX

— Rajnish Hedao, production designer

While selecting guns, we must be careful because Mumbai police firearms are different from those used by Rapid Action Force or the Army. We meet senior or retired officers who help us with our research. It takes us a long time to prep for car stunts because even if the shot shows a car toppling, we have to ensure people inside are safe. The web series Aar Ya Paar has an archer as the protagonist and we got on board a national archery coach to work with the cast. We created artificial bows and arrows lighter than the real ones, so that actors could handle them easily. Our job begins two-three months before the shoot.

— Swapnil Bhalerao, production designer working with Rohit Shetty for 18 years