Filmmaker gathers 1,000 children to shoot promotional video at the historic landmark, the first such venture since the 26/11 terror attacks
Filmmaker gathers 1,000 children to shoot promotional video at the historic landmark, the first such venture since the 26/11 terror attacks
Almost 10 months after the 26/11 terror attacks, the Gateway of India yesterday saw its first film shoot.
One thousand children from across the world assembled at the landmark to shoot a promotional video of director Faruk Kabir's film Allah Ke Bande.
"Obtaining permissions to shoot at the Gateway was not easy. It involved a lot of paperwork. We wrote to police, fire brigade and even Mantralaya officials.
We sent them lyrics of the song in the video, which features Kailash Kher and his band. The fact that the shoot involved 1,000 kids aged from 5 to 15 years made the venture even more daunting," said Kabir.
The children of various nationalities may have not have realised the significance of the ground they stood on, but it was soul stirring to watch the Gateway, the silent sentinel to the bloody massacre, shake off the past and play host to childlike energy and enthusiasm.
Added Kabir, "Every child is Allah Ka Banda. The song calls out to God and asks him to be kind to the world. It deals with the main characters who have suffered. It asks God to halt the misery in the world."
In the crowd were children from slums, municipal schools and private institutions, foreign kids and differently abled children.
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Some of the children have also acted in the film. "We had a full-fledged casting team that got in touch with an international student body to arrange for some foreign children for the shoot.
"The video will also feature a blind child, a handicapped one and many kids from the slums, who were made aware of the shoot through word of mouth," said Kabir.
Kabir shot with the children from 6 pm on Monday to 6 am yesterday. "Every child was paid Rs 400. These 1,000 kids will walk with candles while my camera shoots them from various angles."
Dinesh Afzalpurkar, who heads the BMC's heritage committee, said he had no idea of any film being shot at the Gateway of India.
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"No one approached my department for shooting a film. It is incumbent upon everyone who intends to use a heritage structure in any manner to seek our permission.
No one can hammer a nail or cause any damage to the structure," said Afzalpurkar.
75
Number of guards at the shoot yesterday
Little stars speak
I loved the shoot. It was so much fun shooting with so many kids.
Diana Debastani (7)
Iran
I have been a part of the film and now a part of the video as well. I enjoyed it.
Arbaaz Sheikh (12)
Ghatkopar
I felt a little sleepy but I enjoyed it
Rishi Navle (7)
Ghatkopar
It was so much fun.
But this was not my first shoot.
Adaife Chukwu-dinma (5)
Nigeria
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