Take Lite (2009)
Duration: 24 minutes
Language: Hinglish (Hindi and English)
Released on 23rd May 2009
Synopsis:
Take Lite is about friendship, love, hatred, envy,betrayal, sarcasm and moreover on taking life on a lighter note.
Director's First Cut:
First of all, I would like to thank all the artists (on the screen and off the screen) to have patience and also by investing more than 100% to complete Take Lite. It took 14 months for me to complete this movie due to various unavoidable reasons. This blog is dedicated for all the reasons that delayed Take Lite.
I remember saying this to Mubeen during our first meet at Joseph's place that if I start the shoot, then I would see that the project reaches a conclusion, no matter how much time it takes. Thankfully I was able to stick to my word.
During the making of Take Lite in 14 months, friends were discovered, friends turned foes and again rediscovered, betrayal act, at par punctuality, cent percent dedication, escape route, rescuing act, seeking opportunity, proving a point, always convincing, lack of communication, backup plan, lack of planning and many more factors were realized. In totality, it was one of the greatest learning curve for me to understand the intuitions, the psyche and priorities of every person involved during those situations.
I hope this movie will reflect all the difficulties, the joy, the untiring effort and moreover the utmost dedication that we all have put in to complete this short movie. I would really love to listen to your views on this movie, so please do leave your comment.
Take Lite is about friendship, love, hatred, envy,betrayal, sarcasm and moreover on taking life on a lighter note.
Director's First Cut:
First of all, I would like to thank all the artists (on the screen and off the screen) to have patience and also by investing more than 100% to complete Take Lite. It took 14 months for me to complete this movie due to various unavoidable reasons. This blog is dedicated for all the reasons that delayed Take Lite.
I remember saying this to Mubeen during our first meet at Joseph's place that if I start the shoot, then I would see that the project reaches a conclusion, no matter how much time it takes. Thankfully I was able to stick to my word.
During the making of Take Lite in 14 months, friends were discovered, friends turned foes and again rediscovered, betrayal act, at par punctuality, cent percent dedication, escape route, rescuing act, seeking opportunity, proving a point, always convincing, lack of communication, backup plan, lack of planning and many more factors were realized. In totality, it was one of the greatest learning curve for me to understand the intuitions, the psyche and priorities of every person involved during those situations.
I hope this movie will reflect all the difficulties, the joy, the untiring effort and moreover the utmost dedication that we all have put in to complete this short movie. I would really love to listen to your views on this movie, so please do leave your comment.
Finalizing Story:
It was March 2008, I was consciously planning to make my first talkie film. I was actively involved in many scripts which were of psychological thrillers. But as I went deep under those scripts, I tend to lose interest, maybe because of lack of information or less confidence on how I would conceive it. Then one day, I thought of a subject which was based on subtle humor and moreover a love story. The thought itself made me laugh and I wanted someone to listen to it immediately. So I went to Joseph's place and narrated him the plot and I was able to empathize with Joseph's feedback which made me more confident about the plot. The next step was to explore more on the situations and come up with a viable script.
Script:
If I recall the days back, the script was written in a month with reviews happening every now and then. Actors and Associate took the liberty of reviewing it whenever they find it illogical or rather out of context, which made my life a bit easy. In all there were 17 drafts of Take Lite documented and to be very frank, the end product does not completely follow the script. As we had some other major issues while editing, so stay glued to know about that.
Casting:
This is one of the areas where I completely lost the plot and wasted valuable time of entire team. Casting was supposed to be a serious thing but we hooked onto wrong people at the right time, which made every one's life miserable. Because of the wrong casting, we had to re-shoot the entire sequence.
But there were many great decisions taken by me on the cast which one can experience while they watch Take Lite. Take Lite's forte is it's performance by actors who actively participated in the rehearsals and have given their heart out while on the shoot. So Hat's off guys and my sincere apologies for the re-shoot.
I really wanted to work with Mubeen and the character Gopal was visualized on him while I started writing. I am glad that I was able to convince him and to be honest, this is one of the subtle and controlled performance by Mubeen.
I remember having met Amit at our housing complex, I told him that am planning to make a movie and there is one character which he really fits in. The immediate response from Amit was 'let's do it'. Amit played Adarsh in Take Lite. It was an apt role for Amit and I feel everyone would agree to that.
Shweta was recommended by Joseph and co-incidentally the character name which she played was Shweta. During the audition, we thought she would do justice to the role of Shweta, to which she agreed first, then later disagreed. As the character is a true sarcastic, she couldn't relate with herself. Later we convinced Shweta to that role. Prior to this, I also wanted Kanchan to come for an audition for this character as I felt that character would match her outer persona. But that didn't happened but eventually Kanchan had to enact those scenes of Shweta while dubbing.
Vijay was not the first choice for Reva, we were still looking around and then I suddenly happen to know that Vijay is around Pune. So called her and happened to meet after a long gap (as she was a part of my choreography team). Vijay was auditioned and she gelled with the character and I thought the search for Reva is over.
The character Kabir is completely ME. I wanted some other actor to play that role. That actor came down to Pune from Mumbai, was there for auditions, read the story and left. Later indirectly he found the escape route, maybe he didn't liked the script. As all other actors were selected, rehearsals were on full swing and we were banking on this guy, but he didn't turned up. I was in a fix, as I felt the project needs to be shelved but then Joseph once again got in the act of rescuing by referring his friend (worth not mentioning his name). We happened to meet him and as I was in a hurry, I made the stupid decision by casting him without even knowing his abilities. After the first schedule of shooting, this guy started playing the game of escapism, every now and then he would avoid coming to a conclusive date for the final shoot. We waited for him for about a couple of months, I was literally begging before him to join for the shoot and he was ready with his vague reasons, which brought me to a final conclusion to drop him. During rehearsals me and Joseph were playing the part of Kabir, so Amit and Mubeen suggested Joseph to play Kabir. But I was not quite convinced, as I feel and it's my sole opinion that Joseph would be more effective on playing subtle characters rather out an out loud, full of sarcasm kind of . Hence I thought of myself pitching in and completing the job. Also wanted to reduce the dependency so took the added responsibility.
The character Kabir is completely ME. I wanted some other actor to play that role. That actor came down to Pune from Mumbai, was there for auditions, read the story and left. Later indirectly he found the escape route, maybe he didn't liked the script. As all other actors were selected, rehearsals were on full swing and we were banking on this guy, but he didn't turned up. I was in a fix, as I felt the project needs to be shelved but then Joseph once again got in the act of rescuing by referring his friend (worth not mentioning his name). We happened to meet him and as I was in a hurry, I made the stupid decision by casting him without even knowing his abilities. After the first schedule of shooting, this guy started playing the game of escapism, every now and then he would avoid coming to a conclusive date for the final shoot. We waited for him for about a couple of months, I was literally begging before him to join for the shoot and he was ready with his vague reasons, which brought me to a final conclusion to drop him. During rehearsals me and Joseph were playing the part of Kabir, so Amit and Mubeen suggested Joseph to play Kabir. But I was not quite convinced, as I feel and it's my sole opinion that Joseph would be more effective on playing subtle characters rather out an out loud, full of sarcasm kind of . Hence I thought of myself pitching in and completing the job. Also wanted to reduce the dependency so took the added responsibility.
Rehearsal:
As Joseph said, because of the rehearsal the actors knew (except Shweta, as she was busy with work during rehearsals) what's the scene all about.
We (Amit,Mubeen,Joseph,Vijay) used to meet at Joseph's place or mine and we used to rehearse line of Take Lite. It was really fun, I still remember Vijay saying what crap dialogues have been written for her.
We (Amit,Mubeen,Joseph,Vijay) used to meet at Joseph's place or mine and we used to rehearse line of Take Lite. It was really fun, I still remember Vijay saying what crap dialogues have been written for her.
Promo Shoot:
This part is not there in the script, this was conceived by me while we were rehearsing. This increased the time of the film which ultimately doubled the efforts by every individual.
This was the first schedule of Take Lite and sadly this needed to re-shot. Thanks to the actor who was selected initially (as mentioned above) to play Kabir and later on he might have realised that this is not child's play, this is something serious, I need to run from here.
I would like to mention my heartfelt gratitude to Jitu, Ankit, Achyut and Sudha to be a part of the promo shoot. Also not to forget Ankit's contribution to 'Take Lite' by being part of the promo shoot twice, hat's off Sirji. These people for no selfish reason were standing under the scorching sun for hours on the terrace for the shoot. Really I admire their spirits and dedication shown towards this project, moreover towards me. Also to mention about Vyoma, who passively participated during finalising the outfit of the female characters also she readily provided one of her props for the shoot.
Also my sincere apologies to Jitu and Sudha as the first shoot of the promo sequence cannot be a part of Take Lite, as they were not available for the re-shoot.
This was the first schedule of Take Lite and sadly this needed to re-shot. Thanks to the actor who was selected initially (as mentioned above) to play Kabir and later on he might have realised that this is not child's play, this is something serious, I need to run from here.
I would like to mention my heartfelt gratitude to Jitu, Ankit, Achyut and Sudha to be a part of the promo shoot. Also not to forget Ankit's contribution to 'Take Lite' by being part of the promo shoot twice, hat's off Sirji. These people for no selfish reason were standing under the scorching sun for hours on the terrace for the shoot. Really I admire their spirits and dedication shown towards this project, moreover towards me. Also to mention about Vyoma, who passively participated during finalising the outfit of the female characters also she readily provided one of her props for the shoot.
Also my sincere apologies to Jitu and Sudha as the first shoot of the promo sequence cannot be a part of Take Lite, as they were not available for the re-shoot.
Final Shoot:
We had a gala time doing the shoot (maybe in some time, I would be releasing the making of Take lite shoot videos). I had loads of work to do before the shoot, the location, managing the actors, consulting my associate/assistants, the camera, the script, the shot division. But by grace of GOD, we didn't face any major hurdle during the shoot.
The first shoot (Birthday scene) was shot at my place and it was the best shooting time, with proper lights, ambiance and on top of that some great performances.
Sudha was actively involved with the makeup and costumes of the female characters. She also took the responsibility to help out the actors with the lines by following the script and shot division documents. She also took her time off to help Vijay with the look for the character before the shoot.
We started at 7pm. We first shot the female actors scenes as they were in a hurry to leave home. Pizzas were arranged for the shoot. At around 11pm we started the shoot of guys including me and the shoot ended at 4 in the morning. It was a hectic schedule but these scenes are the vital scene which define 'Take Lite' and they have come up really good.
Before the shoot I thought of throwing more focus on the romance by adding a poetic touch. Discussed with Chetan and he agreed to pen down a poetry which would enhance that moment to the next level. He came up with a beautiful romantic poetry and after seeing the end product, I felt I made the right decision as that part gives me complete creative satisfaction. Thanks Chetan!
The concluding shoot was kept at my ex-neighbors place (Bhatt Uncle) and thanks to the glorious villa, which really made up the scenes look too good. Also loved their support, patience and affection shown to me while we were shooting.
Just for your information, before this shoot I completed my sixth movie Positive Poles. http://positivepoles.blogspot.com/
The first shoot (Birthday scene) was shot at my place and it was the best shooting time, with proper lights, ambiance and on top of that some great performances.
Sudha was actively involved with the makeup and costumes of the female characters. She also took the responsibility to help out the actors with the lines by following the script and shot division documents. She also took her time off to help Vijay with the look for the character before the shoot.
We started at 7pm. We first shot the female actors scenes as they were in a hurry to leave home. Pizzas were arranged for the shoot. At around 11pm we started the shoot of guys including me and the shoot ended at 4 in the morning. It was a hectic schedule but these scenes are the vital scene which define 'Take Lite' and they have come up really good.
Before the shoot I thought of throwing more focus on the romance by adding a poetic touch. Discussed with Chetan and he agreed to pen down a poetry which would enhance that moment to the next level. He came up with a beautiful romantic poetry and after seeing the end product, I felt I made the right decision as that part gives me complete creative satisfaction. Thanks Chetan!
The concluding shoot was kept at my ex-neighbors place (Bhatt Uncle) and thanks to the glorious villa, which really made up the scenes look too good. Also loved their support, patience and affection shown to me while we were shooting.
Just for your information, before this shoot I completed my sixth movie Positive Poles. http://positivepoles.blogspot.com/
Editing:
After the shoot was done, I really wanted to get started with editing. But as this was a huge project, my PC didn't had the configuration to hang on. So I upgraded my PC and started with editing.
The next major problem for Take Lite happened just before the edit. I was finalizing the raw data which was shot at Bhatt uncle's place and while finalizing there was an electricity fluctuation happening which formatted the raw data. I was in a shock for a while sweating. I thought, is this the end of Take Lite? But it was not!
But when I started editing the project, I manipulated accordingly to the available visuals, keeping the theme as it is. Eventually the 17 drafts of our script made no sense when the actual output was conceived. This was a learning experience which can be used in future as 'Disaster Management'.
The Editing was done in a couple of months and I was expecting to complete the entire project by February end.
The next major problem for Take Lite happened just before the edit. I was finalizing the raw data which was shot at Bhatt uncle's place and while finalizing there was an electricity fluctuation happening which formatted the raw data. I was in a shock for a while sweating. I thought, is this the end of Take Lite? But it was not!
But when I started editing the project, I manipulated accordingly to the available visuals, keeping the theme as it is. Eventually the 17 drafts of our script made no sense when the actual output was conceived. This was a learning experience which can be used in future as 'Disaster Management'.
The Editing was done in a couple of months and I was expecting to complete the entire project by February end.
Dubbing:
This one took some serious time. Actors were really busy with their priorities and it was getting delayed like anything. Myself, Amit and Vijay completed the dubbing roughly on time. We were pending on Mubeen and Shweta. Shweta was busy with her work as she was going office on weekends, so again Joseph came up with a rescue plan by calling Kanchan to dub the scenes of Shweta. Mubeen was busy with his personal problems and during that time I happened to meet Moin. While chatting I came to know he has a terrific voice and I thought if Mubeen finds it even difficult to join for the dub, let's use Moin's voice. Moin too agreed for it. But before I could call Moin for the dub, Mubeen was ready and he completed the dub at my place.
Once the dubbing was over, the next step was to give music. After the edit, I realized the movie time frame has gone up to 24 minutes, I feared of paying huge amounts for the music. So, I thought of trying with the music compositions, made some tunes and then I happened to meet Sagar on google chat, which happened at the right time.
Music:
I have talked about Take Lite with Sagar one year back, he was delighted with the topic and he told me that he would do at a very affordable budget, that too only for me. But when the project was ready after edit, I got defensive with the fact that the music will be a costlier affair. Moreover I didn't want to work with a musician who later will feel that his/her contribution to this project is not worth showcasing.
But Sagar took off the load from me and assured me that this would be done at the same budget we decided a year back. Working with Sagar was a great learning experience, as he was getting involved with the visuals/script, asking various questions, always suggesting. Also he was very much sync with me on what kind of music I was looking for. I hope Take Lite equally provided Sagar some small yet interesting challenges musically.
Working with Sagar was like working with AR Rahman (nope, I haven't met ARR). Like ARR, Sagar works after midnights, this was one of the drawbacks as it changed the entire physical system settings in me.
Once the dubbing was over, the next step was to give music. After the edit, I realized the movie time frame has gone up to 24 minutes, I feared of paying huge amounts for the music. So, I thought of trying with the music compositions, made some tunes and then I happened to meet Sagar on google chat, which happened at the right time.
Music:
I have talked about Take Lite with Sagar one year back, he was delighted with the topic and he told me that he would do at a very affordable budget, that too only for me. But when the project was ready after edit, I got defensive with the fact that the music will be a costlier affair. Moreover I didn't want to work with a musician who later will feel that his/her contribution to this project is not worth showcasing.
But Sagar took off the load from me and assured me that this would be done at the same budget we decided a year back. Working with Sagar was a great learning experience, as he was getting involved with the visuals/script, asking various questions, always suggesting. Also he was very much sync with me on what kind of music I was looking for. I hope Take Lite equally provided Sagar some small yet interesting challenges musically.
Working with Sagar was like working with AR Rahman (nope, I haven't met ARR). Like ARR, Sagar works after midnights, this was one of the drawbacks as it changed the entire physical system settings in me.
VFX:
As I mentioned about Moin in the previous sections about the dubbing backup, Moin is a professional VFX supervisor. He teaches VFX at a reputed institute in Pune. We happened to meet via Orkut and then later on chats. He wanted to work with me in the future projects as he wanted to use VFX extensively.
He happened to visit my home and also saw the rough cut of Take lite. He spotted some areas where he can provide VFX magic. I agreed to it.
He happened to visit my home and also saw the rough cut of Take lite. He spotted some areas where he can provide VFX magic. I agreed to it.
Director's Final Cut:
To conclude, Take Lite was the one of the challenging projects for me not completely in a creative way but managing people and circumstances. Also would like to confess the commendable effort put in by Joesph, the associate director of Take Lite. From pre-production to almost post-production Joseph was there behind me to witness things happening before me. He was the one to come up with rescue plan every now and then; most of them worked, few didn't.
Also would like to mention about the posters you see in the blog. Those amazing posters have been designed by Praseet. Thanks Praseet for your stupendous effort! The posters has been transformed to Take Lite DVD inlay card.
Personally Take Lite provided me an opportunity to look back where I have completed 2 projects solely. There was a period while completing Take Lite when I was all alone during the completion phase. I realized the emptiness but I really didn't want to divert my attention to it and build negative energy which would yield no result. This has also given me many lessons to ponder on dependency. But ultimately fimmaking is all about team work, but sometime it's good to work on independently rather building up the dependencies.
On that note, I hope that Take Lite will be cherished as a project by all the team members and will surely bring a smile on all the team members. Thanks Again.
Bye!
Also would like to mention about the posters you see in the blog. Those amazing posters have been designed by Praseet. Thanks Praseet for your stupendous effort! The posters has been transformed to Take Lite DVD inlay card.
Personally Take Lite provided me an opportunity to look back where I have completed 2 projects solely. There was a period while completing Take Lite when I was all alone during the completion phase. I realized the emptiness but I really didn't want to divert my attention to it and build negative energy which would yield no result. This has also given me many lessons to ponder on dependency. But ultimately fimmaking is all about team work, but sometime it's good to work on independently rather building up the dependencies.
On that note, I hope that Take Lite will be cherished as a project by all the team members and will surely bring a smile on all the team members. Thanks Again.
Bye!
