By
Gaurav
Malani,
IndiaFM
Monday,
June
18,
2007
Till
now
the
making
of
any
film
had
been
only
a
part
of
the
promotional
package
of
the
movie
before
its
release
or
an
additional
feature
on
the
DVD
after
its
release.
Chale
Chalo
takes
a
step
further
in
the
direction.
Just
the
thought
of
making
a
full-length
feature
film
for
the
big
screen
on
the
making
of
a
film
like
Lagaan
is
as
implausible
as
the
story
idea
of
Lagaan
was,
when
it
was
conceptualized
and
repeatedly
rejected.
But
then
Lagaan
turned
up
against
all
odds
and
so
does
the
disciple
film
on
its
making.
Chale
Chalo
-
The
Lunacy
of
Filmmaking
is
essentially
for
lunatics,
fanatics
and
crazy
lovers
of
Hindi
cinema.
Warning:
For
those
who
disapprove
of
the
documentary
format
of
the
film,
this
film
is
surely
not
your
cup
of
tea.
For
all
others,
you
just
need
a
deep
passion
for
films
and
an
open
mind.
The
film
starts
with
a
prologue
by
Ashutosh
Gowariker,
the
director
of
Lagaan,
where
he
talks
about
the
conventional
norms
and
rules
of
Hindi
filmmaking
and
how
a
filmmaker
is
not
supposed
to
think
outside
that
domain.
Ashutosh
himself
confesses
of
having
made
two
films
before
Lagaan
with
a
similar
outlook
-
Pehla
Nasha
and
Baazi
(interestingly
he
doesn't
take
credit
or
even
mentions
his
intermediate
film
Izzat
Ki
Roti).
Chale
Chalo
starts
in
1998
when
Ashutosh
had
a
rough
story
idea,
which
he
narrated
to
Aamir
Khan
and
Aamir
instantly
disapproved
of
his
unconventional
yarn
requesting
him
to
drop
the
idea
right
away.
This
hurt
Ashutosh
but
he
took
the
challenge
of
staying
with
his
idea
and
wrote
down
the
detailed
script.
When
he
re-approached
Aamir
after
six
months
and
asked
him
to
listen
to
his
script-narration,
Aamir
was
totally
reluctant.
However
Ashutosh
persuaded
him
to
give
it
a
listen
and
at
the
end
of
the
detailed
narration,
Aamir
was
a
changed
man.
His
preconceived
'NO'
turned
into
an
enthusiastic
'YES'
and
he
even
decided
to
produce
the
film
when
Ashutosh
couldn't
find
a
financer
to
his
avant-garde
idea.
So
far
so
good,
this
story
of
Chale
Chalo
till
now
was
much
known
through
the
media
circuits.
The
unknown
part
starts
herein
and
the
movie
throws
out
a
huge
load
of
Lagaan
making
trivia.
One
of
the
first
members
to
join
the
production
team
of
Lagaan
was
Nitin
Chandrakant
Desai,
the
art
director,
with
whom
Ashutosh
set
out
for
a
location
hunt
throughout
India
to
find
his
town
of
Champaner
in
the
latter
half
of
1998.
After
futile
attempts
in
Rajasthan,
Nasik,
UP,
et
al.
they
zeroed
in
on
the
Bhuj
village
in
Kutch
by
May
1999.
Two
first-timers
who
joined
in
the
production
team
of
Lagaan
on
Aamir's
request
were
Reena
Dutta
-
Aamir's
ex-wife
and
Satyajit
Bhatkal
-
Aamir's
childhood
friend
and
the
ensuing
director
of
Chale
Chalo
who
gave
up
his
law
practice
to
join
the
Lagaan
team.
The
documentary
focuses
on
some
interesting
aspects
of
the
making
of
Lagaan
like
how
a
building
in
Kutch
was
transformed
into
a
hotel
to
accommodate
the
300
plus
crewmembers.
The
nervousness
and
apprehension
shown
in
both
Aamir
and
Ashutosh's
mind
on
the
first
day
of
shoot
is
very
much
palpable.
One
of
the
best
parts
of
the
documentary
is
the
behind-the-scene
look
at
the
climax
scene
picturization
(shot
well
in
advance),
which
included
a
record
10,000
extras
that
turn
in
on
the
final
day
of
the
match
in
the
film.
To
handle
such
a
massive
crowd
is
no
easy
task
and
to
appease
these
free
junior
artists,
Aamir
even
crooned
the
Aati
Kya
Khandala
number
for
them.
The
scenes
showcasing
Aamir's
birthday
celebration
on
sets,
cast
and
crew
playing
Holi,
a
real
match
played
between
the
Indian
and
British
team
where
the
latter
win
and
a
British
crew
couple
marrying
by
traditional
Indian
rituals
truly
focus
the
spirit
of
the
Lagaan
team.
The
better
part
of
the
documentary
is
that
it
is
chronologically
edited
and
does
not
muddle
up
like
the
standard
'making
of
films'
formats
that
feature
on
a
DVD.
Also
the
pace
is
fast
and
the
flow
does
not
evoke
boredom.
Background
score
used
from
the
original
movie
soundtrack
adds
to
the
effect.
Thankfully
the
documentary
also
stays
away
from
being
outright
preachy.
Monologues
of
Ashutosh,
Aamir
and
Reena
Dutta
cover
a
major
part
of
the
film
though
each
has
been
recorded
individually
(seemingly
after
Aamir
and
Reena's
breakup).
On
the
flipside,
one
wishes
that
a
strong
voiceover
(like
that
of
Amitabh
Bachchan
in
the
original
film)
could
have
invigorated
the
proceedings
more.
Director
Bhatkal's
narration
falls
feeble
at
times.
Moreover
his
repeated
recollection
of
his
wife
Swati
towards
the
end
tends
to
get
monotonous.
Also
the
timing
of
a
film
is
a
little
late.
Nevertheless
Bhatkal
makes
a
sincere
attempt
at
celebrating
the
spirit
of
Lagaan
without
any
money-making
intentions
(as
the
film
has
been
hardly
publicized).
At
the
end,
Chale
Chalo
may
go
in
as
an
important
lesson
in
filmmaking
schools.
A
must
see
for
all
aspiring
filmmakers!