Bolly Blog 5 - Day 1 Hyderabad - Pre-shoot

view from my building......

As you can imagine I don't even know where or how to begin....this place is absolutely amazing but definitely not for the weak of heart.

It has been non-stop since the moment I stepped off the plane - arrived to our apartment at mid-night. I am sharing a place with Uma Thumrugoti the director and Derth Adams the DP

My roomies- Uma and Derth

By the time I got home the first night - it was midnight and there was a shoot planned for 7AM then next morning...so yup, I plunged right in...and it was actually a perfect way to start this adventure as we were driven all over the city....OKAY watch this video because this is just a taste of what it's like to be in a car in Hyderabad...

Imagine that crazy New York City Taxi driver...The ride you had, where you swear you were NEVER going to get out of the cab alive...Every single car on the road drives like that. Thousands and thousands of dare-devil auto-cowboys. In order to get anywhere, the driver plunges into oncoming traffic and at the last spilt second, on-coming cars veer away, just missing a bone crunching mess of an accident, where you will be bloody victim...This is what it felt like after 36 hours of travel and 5 hours of fit-full sleep.

My own personal "Auto-Cowboy" Subbu, strikes a pose...

This day was a pre-shoot, shots of the city to use as texture and transition in the film. Our first stop was a market-place, where the Viper camera and yours truly were the main attraction...I was pretty much surrounded by kids the minute I stepped out of the car, as an amazon white lady is not something they get to see everyday...

my new friends

The crew sets up the camera as quickly as possible and we try to get off a few shots of the market place - this is almost impossible, as everyone wants to stop and look at the camera.

Derth Trying to shoot the market place

Uma directs surrounded!

We then go on to breakfast. I am sitting in a cafe with about 10 India crew members who don't know what the heck to make of me. I nibble on a power bar as they eat strange breakfast foods and we smile back and forth at each other. These men are very shy and respectful and it makes me feel shy in return. (Shannon Shy???!)

The rest of the day and the next we drive around the amazing city of Hyderabad. So much to see...so much to tell...The Crew guys and I are becoming pals and I think they are happy to have help, as making a film in India is a daunting task, as you will see in the coming weeks....

Some snaps from the 2 day shoot...

Pigs,Cows, Oxen, roam freely on the streets...

My loud wardrobe fits right in today!

Charminar perhaps the most famous Hyderbad image to get on film.

India's version of a Hot Dog Stand...Food looked great but I can't go near it according to my crew or I'd be down for the count!

I leave you with the image that has stuck in my head from the two day shoot...and I think maybe the best way to show you the beauty and the harshness of Hyderabad...