Barely legal alien

Dahlings, I’m finally an artist!

Our first day of shooting was supposed to start at 6 am, so we got wakeup calls at 4.30 am. We were supposed to shoot the scene where we arrive in the village on horseback. They wanted the three of us who can’t ride horses to learn in the half-hour before dawn. Hmm. The horses had arrived the previous evening, although Harry had been promised several days to get used to them.
One of the horses had a bad leg and was limping, and another had a horrifying eye infection, leaving only one usable horse.
Harry got on to go for a ride, but the trainers hadn’t tightened the girdle, and at the first turn the whole saddle slowly rotated to the side and dumped him unceremoniously on the ground. Fortunately he wasn’t hurt. Less fortunately, I wasn’t there to get a photo.

The donkey was in better shape, but didn’t look quite as imposing.

With nothing to ride, we ended up driving into the village in a vintage Ford.

Here are some of the “name” actors in the film. The ravishing Madhu Sharma, who is even more magnetic in person than the photo suggests.

The luminous Sheetal Shah. Reigning queen of a national beauty pageant (not bad out of a billion people), in-demand painter, and just starting her PhD, but friendly and approachable. Doesn’t she just make you feel totally inadequate?

Harry chats to his onscreen love interest, Khooshboo {something I can’t pronounce starting with G}. The grin says it all.

In case it seems I’m displaying a gender bias, here’s some beefcake. Right, the preposterously handsome and muscular Ashmit Patel, very friendly and self-effacing. Left, Rahul Dev, one of the biggest names in the film. Chiselled and weathered, he’s got an intense screen presence, reminiscent of Clint in the man with no name trilogy.

Ah, bugger gender bias. I heartily endorse these traditional backless dresses. Cholis I think they’re called.

Excuse me for a moment while I wipe my drool off the keyboard.

The costumes are designed by talented and unflappable siblings Bhakti and Hitesh Kapopara. When hundreds of extras are in their costumes, the effect is stunning.

There’s a lot of waiting around on a film set. I had time to read some papers I’d downloaded in the excellent Nonu Cybercafe in Bhuj, and do a bit of writing. The wonders of technology, eh? This drew quite a crowd. Amid the stream of Hindi I couldn’t miss the occasional “laptop!”

Keep smiling, and bye for now.

(* 2000 Rs = U$46)