Shooting at CST a challenge

Slumdog Millionaire gaffer on his most memorable light-up

Gaffer Mulchand Dhedia's name is synonymous with international projects that are shot in the city. He did the lights for Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire too.

Along with his team, he is celebrating his technical expertise and where the film has reached.

Operating from Kandivili, Dhedia says, "I have been in this line for over three decades and every foreign crew has me and my teams handling the lights for the project. My daughter Hetal is also a gaffer."

His most memorable shoot for the film was at CST for the filming of the Jai Ho track. "We could only shoot from 12.30 am to 4 am; when the local trains grind to a halt.

But lighting this historic site was a challenge. As it was a heritage site, we had to be very careful while operating the lights and not cause damage to the premises.

We shot the song in four days flat. Otherwise, shooting with thousands of commuters around was a challenge by itself."

He feels Boyle is a very methodical director. "We would first do a recce of the location several times and when the shoot would start.

We would waste no time as we were all prepared well in advance. When the camera wasn't rolling, Danny was a cool guy but once it was action time, he demanded and got what he wanted."

Dedhia has also been associated with films like Salaam Bombay, Lagaan, Water, After The Wedding, Taare Zameen Par and The Warrior.

"All these films either garnered a Oscar nomination or were sent as entries in various categories. With Slumdog, my brush with the Academy awards continues.