Standing on an Apple Box by Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth Dhanush

Author:Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth Dhanush
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: null
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India
Published: 2016-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

Madras, Movies and the Maestro

Madras, as it was called then and is still called in the innermost musings of my mind, was once the hub of regional movies in the south. Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil movies were all shot and processed in Madras. The city had numerous film studios and flourishing production houses catering to all the southern languages. The bigger hotels had celebrities walking in and out. The busy stars who had families moved to the city as they would be shooting here almost all year round. Shooting in faraway locations was rare; films were mostly shot on sets in film studios. Their children went to school in Madras and I can count a number of friends that I grew up with whose parents were from the Telugu and Kannada film industries. You can see proof of this in most of the star kids of the Telugu and Malayalam industries; they all speak extremely good Tamil.

Since most of the shoots in those days took place indoors, there was no concept of vanity vans, only makeup and changing rooms. Appa therefore finds it very odd to wait in vanity vans and often pulls up a chair and sits outside, next to where the shoot is happening. The fact that this also keeps him up to date on all aspects of shooting, he can see how the other actors are faring and what’s actually happening in the movie, is secondary. The primary result of this is that there is camaraderie on the set, a feeling that everyone is involved, and it shows when the final product is screened.

This camaraderie was apparent in the big studios of the day: AVM, Vijaya Vauhini, Prasad, Sathya, Mohini and many more. If you were to walk in on any working day, there would be a Rajkumar shoot happening at one end, an NTR shoot at the other, and an MGR shoot in between. When the different crews broke for lunch, they would all gather together and eat, beyond language, star power and other barriers. This continued with Appa’s generation. They shared a special rapport that went beyond movies. Fans who waited outside the studios to see their favourite star would get a glimpse of others stars too. However clichéd it may sound, they were one big family working under the same roof.

One thing that has changed dramatically over the years is the role of the producer. Appa tells me that in those days, the producer would be on set the entire time. He was usually very well informed when it came to technicalities such as camerawork, as well as the creative aspects of movie-making. He would provide inputs, put out the minor flare-ups that are a normal part of film-making and also help the team overcome any problems they had. These producers were capable men who knew what they were doing and how to get their money’s worth.

Among them were stalwarts who were known for their reliability and expertise. Except for the more recent films, Appa has never signed a contract or an agreement.

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