<i>Traffic Signal</i> eunuchs cant be found

By: Upala KBR, Mid-Day
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Madhur Bhandarkar is in a mess. The eunuchs and beggars he had hired for shooting some sequences in his latest film Signal have left him in the lurch. They've run away because of the rains. And till he finds them, he can't complete those scenes.

They've vanished!

Says Madhur, "I had selected about seven real life eunuchs and eight beggars, including some sadhu babas, to shoot four scenes in Signal. Those scenes deal with people living on the streets.

They performed very well and had shot some wonderful scenes in Karjat a couple of months ago. My next scene was in Vile Parle east two weeks ago. It required two chunks of dialogues with scenes with Sandeep Kulkarni, who heads an NGO, and the beggars and eunuchs."

But the eunuchs and beggars didn't appear for the shoot. Says Madhur, "Before the shoot, we just couldn't trace the three eunuchs or the sadhu babas. Our project coordinator searched for them at their usual haunts like Versova and Bandra traffic junctions, and he is still hunting for them. Some people said they might have left for their villages because of the rains."

Realistic cinema

Why shoot with real eunuchs and beggars? He could have just shot with character artistes. "I wanted real ones because Signal is real cinema. I wanted people whose body language, looks, walk and talk was completely natural. I didn't have to give them any brief.

They shot some scenes in Karjat, we gave them food and money. They performed very well when shooting. Now if I don't get them, I will face major continuity problems. Apart from the NGO scene, there is a lavni song sequence in a beggar wedding which is left to can with them in it."

What happens if they don't turn up at all? "We can't delay the shoot any longer as it will incur a lot of expenses. I require them for my next shoot in Karjat starting August 28. I think we will have to change the screenplay if we can't find them," says Madhur in sheer frustration.

But there is one bright spot in Madhur's gloomy cloud. "Corporate is celebrating 50 days. I will start my next schedule only after we celebrate that!"

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