Chapter 148: Good Progress

Raj loves the Juhu area, especially the beaches.

He wouldn't mind spending the afternoon sitting by the pool at the Risa Hotel, especially since the vodka and chicken sandwiches wouldn't cost him anything.

It wasn't that he was eating and drinking for free. Raj paid for his meals and drinks by selling other people's stories, and had more than enough left over.

As his good friend Shiv Kumar described him, Raj was the "God of the hard-working people".

His identity as a columnist for Screen magazine gave him unimpeded access to Bollywood.

He is the messenger between two worlds, the conduit between upper-class and lower-class Bombay.

Judging from his appearance alone, Raj is not only not impressive, but also looks vulgar and mean.

He had a beard and never buttoned his shirt properly. Not only did he look like a sloppy smuggler, but his crossed eyes also made him look very unpleasant.

When he looks at you, you don't know where he is looking.

But Raj's writing is first-rate. As the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover. His columns are like sermons, full of a sacred sense of mission and noble moral values.

When Shiv Kumar and Ron found him, Raj was chatting animatedly with the waiter.

"Raj, you are telling lies again." Shiv sat over and poured himself a glass of wine without any hesitation.

"How can you say it's a lie?" Raj pointed at the waiter who had just left. "That guy has a lot of stories to tell, and he's always ready to tell them."

"So what did you hear?"

"It's a declaration of failure from a dream chaser, but there are thousands of people in Mumbai who are in a similar situation as him."

"You talk so much you could almost write a report. Let me introduce you to two friends."

Shiv wanted to introduce Ron and Mary, but Raj stood up and greeted them instead.

"Dr. Sur, I've heard of your great name. Miss Mary, the first foreign talent agency in Bollywood."

"Hello." Ron and Mary shook hands with him respectively.

They sat down, and after getting Ron's consent, Shiv handed the script to Raj.

"Look at this."

"Oh, a religious film."

Raj was well aware of low-budget films and the Shudras and untouchables who made them. Opening a copy of Screen magazine, he could see promotional flyers for low-budget films everywhere.

Yes, usually the people who make adult films are from the lower castes. Religious films are a little better, but Raj is still surprised that Ron would go into this business.

“The script is fine and people in North and Central India will like it, as such films tend to do better than blockbusters in those regions.

But Mr. Soul, with your status, you can definitely invest in those blockbuster films."

"I'm new in the industry," Ron shrugged, "and low-budget films are easier to control."

Raj understood this, and it was true. When it came to investing in blockbuster films, Ron was just a shareholder, with no decision-making power over the filming.

But the truth is that Ron doesn't have that much money to waste, and Mary and the others had already studied it.

To shoot a blockbuster in Bollywood, the minimum starting price is 40 million rupees, while super blockbusters can even exceed 100 million rupees.

The investment scale of medium-budget films is also around 30 million, which is less than 10 million rupees and is considered a low-budget film.

Where would Ron get so much money to invest in a blockbuster? He couldn't even put it on the table without spending 10 or 20 million rupees.

“What’s your budget?” Raj asked.

"Three million rupees."

"Where was the filming location?"

“Uttar Pradesh.”

"If that's the case, it's barely enough." Raj was experienced and had already calculated the expenses in his mind.

"So, what recommendations do you have for the male lead?" Schiff asked with respect.

His relationship with Raj is very complicated. The latter is his mentor and can be regarded as both a teacher and a friend.

Shiv was originally a hard-working man who came to Mumbai, and it was Raj who sponsored him to go to college.

After graduation, Schiff first worked as a production assistant and then joined the directing industry.

"What Bollywood has no shortage of is male leading actors. No matter what the price range is, there are hundreds of people waiting." Raj has dealt with countless Bollywood strivers.

"We have a limited budget, so..." Ron said awkwardly.

"Don't worry, the remuneration will not exceed one lac." Raj assured.

As Schiff said, he is a protector for those who strive hard.

The so-called strivers are those who want to make a name for themselves in Bollywood and have high aspirations but a fragile life.

Especially for female strivers, out of a hundred actresses who come to Mumbai to make a living, no more than ten can really be lucky.

The audition took place at the Risha Hotel behind them, but Ali preferred to call it the "Suicide Hotel."

Because from time to time, actresses could not bear the blow of being rejected again and committed suicide in their hotel rooms.

Just like the last time Ron had dinner with Chandra and the others, he tried his best to please Rita and Geeta, almost to the point of fawning on them. He was already a very lucky man.

Among these hundreds of Bollywood workers, some have played minor roles, while others have played supporting roles.

It is not difficult to find a male protagonist with experience, talent and good looks. Raj can easily name five or six.

"I'll have them audition at your place later," Raj told them not to worry. "What's important is the film's release after it's finished."

"I'm going to ask Director Lal to introduce some distributors," Ron replied.

"That would be great, but don't be too optimistic about low-budget movies."

"How?" he asked.

"Censorship is a problem. If the big theaters can't show it, the distributors won't take it over."

"If that's not possible, we can distribute it regionally. For states with strict censorship, we can directly sell the one-time distribution rights."

Indian films have five distribution territories in the country and one dedicated to all overseas markets.

These five distribution areas are roughly divided according to geographical location, east, west, south, north and center, and each market is different.

Hindi is spoken in North and Central India, Bengali and Assamese are spoken in East India, Tamil and Telugu are spoken in South India, and Marathi is the main language in West India.

Of course, Ron and his team make Hindi films, and their main market is in northern and central India. They can just sell one-time distribution rights to other places.

Even the language is different, so even if we go the box office sharing route, we won’t earn much.

"This is a good method. It seems that the focus is in North India." Raj agreed.

"I'm from Uttar Pradesh." Ron spread his hands.

"That's even more of a no problem." Raj had no doubt about his abilities in the local area.

"I'll have to trouble you with the promotion of the film after it's produced." Ron glanced at the Screen magazine in his hand.

Raj smiled and said, "I will write it myself when the time comes."

"Thank you very much." Ron and Mary were both very happy.

After only a week of back and forth, they finalized the script, director, female lead, and the subsequent distribution and publicity direction.

The male lead seems to have been chosen, and the preparations for the entire film are progressing at an astonishing speed.

After returning to the agency, they called screenwriter Ravi and began to discuss the details of the script.

The story is very cliché. It takes place in the countryside. There are two brothers in a wealthy family in the village. The younger brother's wife is unruly and fierce, while the older brother's wife is virtuous. The younger brother dreams of going to the United States.

One day, a wandering monk passed by the village and sang praises to Durga. Inspired by this, the villagers came to worship the goddess, including his younger brother.

The goddess responded to his prayers, and immediately a telegram came from the American headquarters saying that the position was vacant.

The elder sister-in-law, who was of noble character and kind-hearted, sold her dowry and bought tickets to the United States for the brother and his wife and children.

Many years later, the family, whose words and deeds had become westernized, returned from the United States and checked in a suitcase of money in an attempt to save the brother's failing business in his hometown.

But as is always the case with checking valuables, their luggage was lost by the airline.

The story begins with this, depicting the various scenes in which the hero and heroine rely on the manifestation of Durga to fight against the evil forces.

If I had to sum up the script in one word, it would be bullshit.

What miracles, what pious prayers, it's simply ridiculous.

If it happened in other countries, people would probably just treat it as a myth and laugh it off.

But Indians believe this, they really believe in the existence of Durga.

Therefore, the story must have both ups and downs in the plot and reflect respect and belief in mythological characters.

But the ultimate goal of making movies is to make money.

“The title ‘A Tribute to Durga Puja’ is too serious and not entertaining enough,” Ron commented.

"But we are making a religious film." Mary was a little skeptical.

“You can give the movie different names depending on the region,” suggested Shiv.

"Wow, that's a good idea." Ron's eyes lit up.

He almost forgot that this was another common practice in Indian films. Due to different languages ​​and cultural customs of different states, the translated titles of the same film are also different.

After some discussion, they finally decided on three names for the film.

In rural areas, it's called "A Tribute to Durga Puja." In urban areas like Mumbai, it becomes "Foreign Mother-in-Law, Local Wife."

In Sikh areas like Punjab, it is simply changed to "Miracles from Heaven".

This makes it more down-to-earth, and audiences from different regions can all get what they want.

In addition to these, there is another major core in film preparation.

That's the music, even though it's a low-budget religious film.

But singing and dancing must be included, otherwise who would watch it?

People in rural India are illiterate, and they would feel like they are missing out if there is no singing and dancing to liven things up.

They may not understand the complicated plot, but they certainly can understand the songs and dances.

According to preliminary estimates, Ron's film will also require 5 songs and 3 song and dance segments.

This requires the help of professionals. It will never work if we rely on the imagination of just a few people.

Ron plans to bother old Lal again, and Mary and Shiv will also invite other Bollywood music directors.

They split up and tried to resolve the issue within two weeks.

It’s June now, and dreary monsoon clouds are brewing over Mumbai.

Heavy rain could fall at any time, and this restless city finally quieted down a little.

But there is also good news for Ron.

The payment from Sur Electric Appliances for last month will be received soon.

(End of this chapter)