Trends

This seems to be a distinct trend – quickie Indian movies are being shot entirely in New York, Australia and other parts of the world. And now you have the action thriller Ek Ajnabee shot completely in Bangkok in just 40 days. According to director Apoorva Lakhia, the 40 day shoot was cost effective and ensured uninterrupted shooting.

The film, inspired by Denzel Washington’s Man on Fire, is the story of Suryoveer Singh, played by Amitabh Bachchan, burnt-out and a misfit, looking for redemption. He is hired to safeguard Anamika, the young daughter of a wealthy Bangkok couple. Arjun Rampal is Shekhar, a nightclub owner who is Suryoveer’s confidante who calls him to Bangkok for the job. Things certainly heat up when Anamika is kidnapped and Suryoveer has to rescue her in an unfamiliar land.

Lakhia, who was earlier an assistant director in New York, says that it’s no longer unusual to be shooting movies in such a short span: ” The younger generation is planning it out and actors are doing one movie at a time, and we waited because we needed 40 days from Mr. Bachchan and 15 days from Arjun, and then we took everyone to Bangkok. Once we had this in our control, then filmmaking becomes a very easy process because everyone on the set and in the group get into character and you get a flow. We were all on our toes because Mr. Bachchan, if you call him at 6, he comes at quarter to 6.”

Amitabh Bachchan also believes that things are changing: “The Indian film industry is getting into a phase or already is in one where there is a huge amount of planning, accountability and a truly professional outlook in everything they want to do.”

Interestingly enough, in the old days the entire movie used to be shot in India and the unit would travel abroad for one or two song sequences. Here, Ek Ajnabee has been shot entirely in Bangkok, with two song sequences being added on later, which were shot in Bombay.