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Bollywood film shoot hits Fishtown
categories | Movies, On set
Faint rumbles pierced the quiet, slowly growing louder as the train approached. "This is what we want," said a voice in a thick Indian accent. "Stand by, and—action." From my perch on the rickety old stairs of El Bar's ancient third floor, I watched as the El flashed past the windows of the room and cameras began rolling.
Fishtown's El Bar transformed from lovable dive to film set yesterday as Yash Raj Productions and its American subsidiary Ring of Fire Productions shot scenes for an upcoming Bollywood movie, Right Hand Man. According to El Bar owner Robin Schimpf, the film centers around a man coming to a poor neighborhood in America, growing successful and moving out, and finally realizing that he was happier in the poor neighborhood all along.
Director Parmeet Sethi, a film and TV actor in India, makes his directorial debut with this film starring Shahid Kapoor and Anushka Sharma. I caught a glimpse of both. After the suave Kapoor swept by in a leather jacket, the Production Coordinator, who wouldn't give his name, said that Kapoor is "quite big" in India and is experiencing a quieter time in the States. "No, people are not mobbing us," he said. "But Indians still recognize him." I also saw the pretty, smiling Sharma relaxing by the pool table briefly before the next take. As soon as I caught her eye, though, Sharma pulled an amazingly successful vanishing act. The five actors present kept pretty much to themselves, though the crew seemed willing to mingle a bit. Dinesh Kanojja, part of the camera crew, said the group has been shooting at several locations around Philadelphia in the last few weeks. For most of the crew, it was their first time here.
When searching for locations, the crew weren't looking to shoot in the first floor bar, with its eyeball lights and skateboard lamps, all bathed in a eerie red glow. Instead, they've set up shop above the bar, where they could achieve the perfect setting: a ratty old apartment with a good view of the El. "We were a compromise," Schimpf says, laughing. "We had a view of the El, but we weren't wide enough—but nothing in Philly is! They said they were looking for a poor apartment, not a squat house."
They showed up to build the set — livening up the old room with colorful tapestries and a bright red couch, though still emphasizing the run-down atmosphere — on Monday and were ready to shoot the next day.
Unfortunately, there was no dancing or singing for the scene I watched. Kapoor mostly sat pensively while the train roared by. No one would say what the scene was about. The close-lipped cast and crew, who said they couldn't talk about the film due to "company policy," kept the film shoot under the radar — even for Fishtowners having a drink at El Bar. "They don't like PR," explained Schimpf. "The Indian community is very tight, and they think they'd be overwhelmed."
Even the Americans kept things close to the chest. "You havin' fun? Can you at least say that?" I asked them. "No, we can't even say that," one replied. Go figure.
Bar-goers were content to continue relaxing quietly with a drink or two, shooting a few games of pool, Bollywood's arrival barely causing a ripple in their routine. Many remained in the dark about the details, and one man even asked if it was an independent film. Hearing of the Bollywood connection, he said, "Oh, really? Cool. We'll probably catch that one."
Bartender Victor Perez just kept doing his thing, unruffled. "The girls were hot. But they seemed too snooty," he laughed. "It's all that Bollywood going to their heads."
categories | Movies, On set
Faint rumbles pierced the quiet, slowly growing louder as the train approached. "This is what we want," said a voice in a thick Indian accent. "Stand by, and—action." From my perch on the rickety old stairs of El Bar's ancient third floor, I watched as the El flashed past the windows of the room and cameras began rolling.
Fishtown's El Bar transformed from lovable dive to film set yesterday as Yash Raj Productions and its American subsidiary Ring of Fire Productions shot scenes for an upcoming Bollywood movie, Right Hand Man. According to El Bar owner Robin Schimpf, the film centers around a man coming to a poor neighborhood in America, growing successful and moving out, and finally realizing that he was happier in the poor neighborhood all along.
Director Parmeet Sethi, a film and TV actor in India, makes his directorial debut with this film starring Shahid Kapoor and Anushka Sharma. I caught a glimpse of both. After the suave Kapoor swept by in a leather jacket, the Production Coordinator, who wouldn't give his name, said that Kapoor is "quite big" in India and is experiencing a quieter time in the States. "No, people are not mobbing us," he said. "But Indians still recognize him." I also saw the pretty, smiling Sharma relaxing by the pool table briefly before the next take. As soon as I caught her eye, though, Sharma pulled an amazingly successful vanishing act. The five actors present kept pretty much to themselves, though the crew seemed willing to mingle a bit. Dinesh Kanojja, part of the camera crew, said the group has been shooting at several locations around Philadelphia in the last few weeks. For most of the crew, it was their first time here.
When searching for locations, the crew weren't looking to shoot in the first floor bar, with its eyeball lights and skateboard lamps, all bathed in a eerie red glow. Instead, they've set up shop above the bar, where they could achieve the perfect setting: a ratty old apartment with a good view of the El. "We were a compromise," Schimpf says, laughing. "We had a view of the El, but we weren't wide enough—but nothing in Philly is! They said they were looking for a poor apartment, not a squat house."
They showed up to build the set — livening up the old room with colorful tapestries and a bright red couch, though still emphasizing the run-down atmosphere — on Monday and were ready to shoot the next day.
Unfortunately, there was no dancing or singing for the scene I watched. Kapoor mostly sat pensively while the train roared by. No one would say what the scene was about. The close-lipped cast and crew, who said they couldn't talk about the film due to "company policy," kept the film shoot under the radar — even for Fishtowners having a drink at El Bar. "They don't like PR," explained Schimpf. "The Indian community is very tight, and they think they'd be overwhelmed."
Even the Americans kept things close to the chest. "You havin' fun? Can you at least say that?" I asked them. "No, we can't even say that," one replied. Go figure.
Bar-goers were content to continue relaxing quietly with a drink or two, shooting a few games of pool, Bollywood's arrival barely causing a ripple in their routine. Many remained in the dark about the details, and one man even asked if it was an independent film. Hearing of the Bollywood connection, he said, "Oh, really? Cool. We'll probably catch that one."
Bartender Victor Perez just kept doing his thing, unruffled. "The girls were hot. But they seemed too snooty," he laughed. "It's all that Bollywood going to their heads."
http://citypaper.net/blogs/criticalmass/2009/10/08/bollywood-film-shoot-hits-fishtown/
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