Chapter 161 The Awakening of the Strugglers
The filming of the rural scenes of "A Tribute to the Indigenous Mother" is almost coming to an end. In a few days, the crew will move to other places for location shooting.
Schiff also had to leave because their crew was becoming "notorious" around here.
Take the costumes for example, ever since Ron came up with that bad idea, people have been going to the trade show every day to buy clothes, and then returning them at night with various reasons.
After a long time, the stall owner almost memorized every face in the crew.
If they go there again now, they will be almost kicked out by several stall owners.
The vegetables grown by nearby villagers also suffered, and they would become less every now and then.
There's no way, everyone is really tired of eating potatoes.
The most pressing issue for the hungry crew members every day was looking at the baskets of juicy vegetables used as props but not being able to eat or touch them, which was really frustrating.
So when it's late at night and everyone is asleep, he will use his ancestral skills.
Lanka couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so he simply went to the market to buy food himself.
Every morning, he prepared a hearty breakfast in his room: cheese, jam, bread, butter, and fruit.
The crew members reported into his room, ate and drank their fill, and prepared to start work.
Sometimes, Lanka would buy dinner for the crew out of his own pocket.
All these expenses are not small. His salary was 16,000 rupees, but now he has not received a penny and has already lost 13,000 rupees.
The producer never mentioned the issue of reimbursement and even had the audacity to eat for free.
Mary and Lena are now accustomed to the various strange operations of the Bollywood crew. They turn a blind eye to them and pretend not to see them.
What matters is that the film goes ahead as planned, and all other trivial matters are led by director Shiv and producer Agarwal.
"I have to say, I learned a lot." Mary marveled at the magical operating mode of the Bollywood crew.
"What do you mean?" Ron looked at the distance with interest.
Scenes of Durga's apparitions are currently being filmed, such as her using her divine power to teleport plates of food to the shrine.
When hungry villains chase after food, she takes the opportunity to hit them on the head and shoulders with the idols they worship.
Another female supporting actress plays the incarnation of Durga, who appears as a girl with bright blue skin and dazzling gold jewelry.
This can well explain the role of Nanjinmu at the critical moment, which can be described as "When you are surrounded by mountains and rivers and think there is no way out, you will find another village when you turn around."
"Take Rashi, for example," Mary pointed at the blue-skinned girl. "She played five or six roles in our film, but her salary was less than 10,000 rupees."
"It's not easy to make it in Bollywood." Ron nodded.
"Yes, but that would never happen in Hollywood. The union would come and cause trouble on the first day of work."
Ron laughed. "India and the West have two different sets of rules. You have to learn to adapt."
"They have amazing resilience. No matter how difficult it gets, they will continue filming."
“As hard workers, those who stay are the ones who can endure the most hardships.”
Mumbai is the paradise for all Indians. If you want to make a name for yourself there, suffering is the cheapest price to pay.
As he was speaking, Urmila, who had finished a scene, ran over happily.
She and Lanka are lovers in the movie, and there are wedding scenes later on.
At this time, Urmila wished that Ron would become the male lead and turn the fake marriage into a real one. She wanted to be his wife.
"Ron." Urmila held his arm and rocked him gently.
"You must be tired. Drink some sugarcane juice." Ron handed over the cup he had prepared long ago.
"Hmm!" Urmila spoke happily, and sweetness emanated from her whole body from the inside out.
Everyone in the crew glanced over here, their throats unconsciously starting to roll.
They also want to drink sugarcane juice.
Ron smiled and waved behind him, and Ani brought a few servants, grunting and carrying a wooden barrel over.
It was filled with freshly squeezed sugarcane juice, a big bucket full.
Everyone cheered, and the old hands couldn't wait to squeeze forward, just like the scene at dinner time.
Mary looked at Ron in surprise, but before she could ask, the latter took the initiative to explain.
"It's grown on our own land, so I don't need to pay for it."
Uttar Pradesh doesn't have much else to offer, but it has a lot of sugarcane. Besides hemp, his uncle's fields also grow a small amount of sugarcane.
Good things should be kept within the family, so Ron took a lot of it.
"No wonder." Lena nodded. This was consistent with Ron's usual "stingy" style.
Ron ignored her and went to coax Urmila.
"Let's talk about the play tonight. I've learned some new moves these past few days."
"Ah?" Urmila covered her mouth with her hands, looked around in surprise, and then blushed and whispered in agreement.
"Don't worry, no one will say anything. It's not like they don't know our relationship."
"But." Urmila looked at Mary and Lena cautiously.
"One of us!" Ron waved his hand and started to chat with her again, discussing the evening program.
Lian Na couldn't help but roll her eyes. What new move?
It was tested on herself first, so she was the first to experience it.
Just as Urmila's face was getting redder and redder, there was a sudden noise outside.
“Brother Dara!”, “Brother Dara!”
A group of villagers ran and touched feet to salute a figure in the middle, and the crew members began to get agitated.
"It's Dara Singh!" Everyone threw down their sugarcane juice and rushed over.
"Oh! He is so famous?" Mary looked at the noisy scene, a little surprised.
"This is Dara Singh, the most outstanding professional wrestler in India." After saying that, Ron also walked forward.
Dara Singh is known to everyone in India, and his name is synonymous with warrior.
Thanks to his success in the wrestling arena, he has not only been able to gain a foothold in the entertainment industry, but is even about to be appointed as a federal member of the Indian upper house.
Apart from being a wrestler, he is best known for his heroic roles in various movies.
"Dara Singh vs. King Kong!" was once a widely known movie slogan in India, and it has almost accompanied the memory of a generation.
Director Shiv has a good personal relationship with Dara. He once used Dara's son as the male lead in a TV series, so he invited him to play the role of a devout monk in "Hymn to Durga Puja".
As soon as he arrived, he naturally became the biggest star in the crew. Whether out of courtesy or respect, Ron had to go and say hello.
"Brother Dara." Ron also followed the crowd and saluted.
"Doctor Soul." Dara replied politely.
Tsk, I have to say, Ron is now quite famous, especially in the upper class.
The benefits of saving lives have been reaped until now, and may even last longer.
Both Hindus and Muslims respect him very much.
As a doctor, he fulfilled his duties and also won the favor of minorities such as Sikhs and Jains because of his equal treatment.
Dara is a Sikh, as his surname suggests. His hometown is in Punjab, not far from Uttar Pradesh.
Although it was a guest appearance and she only stayed for one day, Dara's arrival still caused a sensation.
He is in his sixties, has a strong physique and looks healthy and fit.
People thought this was an auspicious sign and asked him for blessings.
Even passing drivers drove their buses off the highway and parked them on a nearby dirt road, and everyone got out and ran towards here.
The crew tried hard to maintain order, but more and more people gathered.
Ron had no choice but to ask his men to go over and help, and they had to beat and scold the crowd of onlookers before they could drive them away.
In India, sometimes you can't be polite to them, otherwise these people will take advantage of you.
After showing off the Brahmin master's power, the crew finally started work.
The scene in which Dara makes a guest appearance is very simple, which is a scene where a wandering monk chants Durga Puja, and finally leads the villagers to worship him.
By the time the shots are almost done, it’s time to eat.
It is rumored that Dara never eats rice, which is why he stays so healthy.
So what did the crew eat if they didn't eat rice? Potatoes again.
The producer did not give any special treatment to Dara because of his arrival, and he faithfully implemented Ron's frugal style.
Well, Ron couldn't blame him.
But Dara was different after all, so Ron asked someone to prepare a basket of fruit and send it over.
Taking this opportunity, the two chatted for a while and agreed to meet again after returning to Mumbai.
In addition to being a wrestler and actor, Dara is also a screenwriter, producer, and director. These are all connections worth maintaining.
"I am planning to go to Uttarakhand in a few days to shoot some mountain scenes," said director Shiv.
"So far?" Ron was a little surprised.
"The scenery there is beautiful, and Bollywood crews often shoot there."
"Several cities in southern Uttar Pradesh also have mountainous areas. You can consider them."
"No, they're not tall enough to capture that kind of momentum."
"Okay, I'll have a few people follow me. I can't control anything beyond Uttar Pradesh."
Uttarakhand is located in the northwest of Uttar Pradesh. Although it borders Varanasi, it is far away from Varanasi.
Ron has to stay in his hometown for a while, he can't travel such a long distance.
"Don't worry, I've traveled all over India and I'm familiar with it." Shiv didn't care.
“After visiting Uttarakhand, should I go back to Mumbai?”
"Almost. We are already in the Bollywood studio for the urban scenes and will be done soon."
"Leave the film censorship in Uttar Pradesh to me. You can take care of the post-production. We will try to release it in September."
"No problem." Director Schiff said confidently.
The production cycle of low-cost movies is very tight, with only two months for shooting and production, which is extremely fast.
It is said that some real adult films can be completed in a week, and the set is limited to a rental house.
If we work at full capacity, we can make dozens of such films a year.
Ron and his team spent two months making the Mother of Difficulty, and it is definitely well-made.
"Ron!"
Just as they were discussing the next shooting plan of the film, Ratan hurried over.
"What's up?"
"There's a call from Mumbai, it seems urgent."
Ron was stunned. Mumbai? Could it be Soul Electric?
(End of this chapter)
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