Chapter 38: Entrapment
In early November, it took four days to audition. Except for the actor Aamir Khan, who was supposed to play the protagonist Rancho, and was still out of town and had not joined the crew, all the major and minor roles in the movie had already been filled. As for the extras without lines, there was no need to search for them separately. With so many crew members, there was more than enough room for them to play small roles.
In the following week, apart from familiarizing the confirmed actors with the script and rehearsing their scenes, Lyman spent his time searching for shooting locations. Eros International had found several suitable locations and needed Lyman to confirm his choice.
The first one to be inspected was the impoverished and dilapidated family's home in the film. Once the group was assembled, they began the on-site survey. It was just under an hour's drive from Bollywood, but the surroundings suddenly became dilapidated.
This shocked Lyman as he looked out the window, feeling as if he had traveled through time and arrived in a completely different world. It was hard to imagine that just a few minutes back, there were towering skyscrapers and bustling modern prosperity, but now there was garbage everywhere, and the roads had turned into dirt roads, with the dust obscuring people's vision.
The surrounding houses were all low and disorderly, appearing as if they should have been abandoned. Various things were piled up in the alleys between the houses, making it difficult for pedestrians to pass through. "Is it here?" After arriving at a slum in Mumbai, the group abandoned their vehicles and began to walk.
"Yes," Dhiren, who had already covered his mouth and nose with a scarf, replied vaguely. He had originally suggested using sets for filming, but Lyman insisted on shooting on location. There was nothing he could do but accompany them to this place. Watching the flies flying around in abundance and the murky air mixed with an indescribable stench almost drove him to despair.
After walking for less than two minutes, the group arrived at the house they had previously negotiated with the owner. Lyman stood at the doorway and gestured, and Dhiren went in to communicate first. After a while, everyone entered the house.
The wooden door creaked open, and Lyman carefully examined the so-called rundown family's location. The whole house was indeed like this. The space inside the house was not small, with four rooms in total, but there was minimal furniture decoration. Each of the side rooms had a stack of wooden planks as a makeshift bed, with a thin layer of sheets messily piled on top, revealing a mat underneath. In the hall where they were, there was only a very small wooden table, without any chairs, lonely and placed toward the direction of the kitchen.
Lyman, Thomas, Dhiren, and two staff members from Eros International, one serving as a driver and the other as a general helper, stood in the house. Due to the unfavorable geographical location of the house, sunlight barely entered from outside, so even though it was daytime, the interior was not bright, rather gloomy. And because the kitchen stove needed to be lit, the surrounding walls were all blackened.
The owner of the house was a thin middle-aged man, accompanied by an equally thin wife. After they came in, they immediately started busying themselves at a well behind the hallway, boiling water and making tea for their guests, showing great hospitality.
"Thank you." The middle-aged man carefully handed over a carefully brewed milk tea to Lyman, who accepted it and politely thanked him. The homeowner couldn't understand what Lyman and the others were saying, but he could sense their goodwill, so a smile appeared on his face as well.
"Should we visit another place?" Dhiren, who had not drunk the milk tea, watched from the side and asked when he saw Lyman and the others finished touring the house.
"Let's go with this one. Talk to them and see if they are willing to act. It's a perfect fit for Rancho's family." Lyman put down the empty milk tea cup and handed it back to the homeowner, responding.
Dhiren went to communicate, while Lyman took Thomas and retraced their steps to go outside. Neither of them had experienced this kind of place before, so they needed to see more. Unconsciously, after leaving the alley, they arrived at a riverbank.
The river was covered with a large amount of garbage, and sewage was continuously poured into it from the drainage holes. Occasionally, pedestrians would dump trash from the bins into the river. The air was filled with a foul stench, a smell resembling rot and fermentation.
Subconsciously, Thomas covered his mouth and nose, while Lyman, who had been silent, spoke up, "Thomas, do you see it?" His voice was deep, "I want to tell Rancho's story with a documentary-like texture, his family, his misfortunes, presenting every detail truthfully. So I hope the camera can capture the grainy feel of life, preferably in black and white, like silent films of the past, with a theatrical and interpretive quality."
Someone once described a film like a person, where the director is the brain, the screenwriter is the spine, the actors are the flesh, the visual effects are the form, and the cinematographer is the eyes. Although this description may not be entirely accurate, it can be seen that teamwork is crucial in film production. The cinematographer's importance to the director is like that of the eyes, vividly deconstructing the director's vision and even interpreting it according to their own understanding to achieve better results. Therefore, in the filming process of this movie, it would be beneficial for Lyman to communicate more with Thomas.
When the topic shifted to cinematography, Thomas quickly focused his attention and even forgot that he was standing next to a garbage-filled river. "Are you suggesting completely abandoning color and adding a black and white texture like in silent films to convey the conflict in the story?"
Lyman nodded, agreeing with Thomas's idea. "Exactly, this dramatic conflict, deliberately created by humans, can also be a splendid turning point." This was indeed the effect that Lyman wanted to achieve for Rancho's story.
"You should think about it yourself and even watch some old films to capture that feeling during shooting."
Thomas grinned; he could tell that Lyman's words were for his own good, "I will." They fell silent, and Lyman unperturbedly surveyed the surroundings.
Ragged children started approaching, curiously observing the two individuals because their demeanor clearly did not belong to this place. Lyman also noticed this situation. Those black-and-white eyes looked at them with hope and envy gradually revealed. Their bodies were thin, their skin dark, and they looked up at them...
He suddenly felt that this land was like a shackle, deeply binding the people here. No matter how they struggled, they couldn't break free. It was like an isolated world cursed with suffering.
Witnessing this scene, Lyman sighed. He took out a handful of change from his pocket and distributed it among the children who had gathered nearby. Another group of children who hadn't followed also rushed over, surrounding them in an instant. Numerous arms reached out towards them, but Thomas, seeing this scene, stood still like Lyman, even without thinking of running away.
The children who had received money wanted to leave first. They ran, and some others quickly chased after them, while the rest anxiously reached out, unwilling to leave.
When Dhiren emerged from the alley, this was the scene he witnessed. Without hesitation, he quickly walked over, taking out a few banknotes and speaking loudly in Hindi. Soon, he randomly gave money to several children, and the dense crowd dispersed.
"Mr. Lyman, what's going on with you guys?" Dhiren asked with confusion. "Are you spreading goodwill here? They won't appreciate it, and things will only get worse."
After experiencing what had just happened, Lyman felt a bit apprehensive. "I understand."
The group then visited a university for inspection, which was in much better condition, making them feel like they had returned to modern society. The principal of the university was a reasonable person. He understood Lyman and the crew's intentions and readily agreed to allow them to shoot there. However, there was one condition: they could not disrupt the normal teaching activities at the school. In other words, the crew could only come to shoot on weekends or during holidays.
After negotiating and accepting the principal's requirements, they agreed. As for the school scenes, they could be shot together, concentrated in a few sessions, rather than following the story's timeline. Not being able to film at the school didn't pose a problem. They could shoot other scenes first; there was no conflict in that aspect.
In the following two days, Aamir Khan also arrived in Bollywood. After Lyman met him at the Eros International building, they had a formal discussion about the role of Rancho.
Aamir Khan seemed quite interested, as it was his first time encountering a Frenchman who came to India to make a film, especially one with an Indian theme. After reviewing the character's rough script, he expressed his willingness to take on this film project.
As for his remuneration, it was set at ₹10M, approximately €500,000. This amount was considered appropriate for his worth. Although he had been in the industry for some time, he hadn't acted in many films, and his popularity was not as high as it would be in the future. There were also currency exchange rate issues to consider. However, he still remained the highest-paid actor in the film. In comparison, Sharman's remuneration was only €80,000, and the remaining actors received even less. The total expenditure on the cast was kept around €900,000.
With the successful addition of Aamir Khan, the preparations for the film were completed, entailing numerous details and tasks.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Shallowman
Shallowman I think it should've been ₹20M to be comparable to €500,000
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