Posted:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/Ashutosh-Gowariker-Making-Everest-was-like-climbing-Everest-for-me/articleshow/44410407.cms
Are you interested in mountaineering yourself as a sport? I am a
sportsperson, though not interested in mountaineering. Making Everest helped me understand mountaineering too. We shot the snow scenes 12000 feet at a temperature of minus 6 degrees above Uttarkashi at the Dokrani Glacier. The only way to reach there was for the entire crew to trek up for five days on foot.
What's the kind of preparation you needed to do to shoot outdoors in such difficult conditions? The entire crew needed to go through altitude and health tests, so that we could test the physical strength required by them for shooting in such conditions. This show had to be completely written and shot within the snow period. We all stayed in tents, obviously without any heaters, permanently at minus 6 degrees temperature for 30 days. The crew consisted of about 100 people, none of whom had aspirations of mountaineering. They were doing just their regular production jobs, be it of makeup or costumes or whatever else. When I am putting them through this kind of ordeal, I needed to give them some kind of comfort by way of tents, good sleeping conditions, a proper toilet, etc. It was like building a complex in the glacier. We took cooks from here and had about 100 sherpas (porters), who would transport food and other stuff to us there from Uttarakhand. We had doctors and a medical tent on set and you had to be well-clad all the time.
Has this been the toughest geography you have worked in? Yes, it was very tough and tiring. But since we had a lot of preparation, both mental and physical, no one fell sick, thankfully.
Has this been the toughest geography you have worked in? Yes, it was very tough and tiring. But since we had a lot of preparation, both mental and physical, no one fell sick, thankfully.
