Larrie goes Sandalwood

Alli must think that Larrie does not have enough to do during the day as she found him some work in the community as an actor.  The first assignment was with a company owned by the husband of a co-worker of Alli's.  The assignment was still photos for a computer based training module on employee review processes - Larrie got to be the boss and had to wear the tie that was purchased for Jessie's Christmas program.  The company who will use the content is French.

The second assignment was for voice over dubbing of a real Indian movie.  This time it was a cousin of a co-worker of Alli's who was the writer of the movie script, who in turn knew the director.  The director allotted three hours for Larrie to dub in the voice in three scenes, and it only took him one hour, which left the director scrambling to realign his day as he now had two extra hours to work.  The director's name is Nagathihalli Chandrashekar, and the movie is named NOORU JANMAKU.  One hears a lot about Bollywood films as the primary production of film in India.  This was a Sandalwood film, which is a specific genre as the main spoken  language in the film is Kannada - the main language spoken in Karnataka.

The "cousin" and the co-worker (now there's a title for stuff in India) picked Larrie up and drove him to the studio somewhere in Bengaluru.  Several people greeted us, and then we had breakfast.  It seems, you must be fed in order to work.  Some mild chit-chat, and then onto the task at hand, but definitely treated like a star.

Doing the voice over was very stressful for Larrie as he had never done anything like that before.  He stood alone in a sound room in front of a microphone with headphones on.  The director with a host of others were outside in the control room watching Larrie through a window.  On the wall in front of him was projected the scene he needed to dub.  Hearing the voice of the real actor from when the scene was shot in his earphones, and seeing the lip movements of the actor on the screen, Larrie needed to match the speaking speed and cadence of the actor.  Hear it, say it, simple! A nearly impossible feat as Larrie works hard at enunciation, and this actor portrayed a high flying business type character who spoke quite fast.  But, Larrie was up to the task, and after a few trials and takes and coaching from the director, the job was finished.  The "cousin" and the co-worker then drove Larrie home, and all enjoyed some lively discussion about script writing, Indian actors,  and Indian movies during the drive.

Fast forward about three weeks.  On Feb 1 Larrie got a call mid-afternoon inquiring if he was interested in being filmed in a scene for the movie.  After working out scheduling details regarding Jessie's return from school, Larrie agreed to the request.  The caller indicated that the scene would be shot somewhere near Airport Road, which is not far from the house, and Larrie thought the shoot would be quick to accomplish.  Doh, nothing is ever quick in India!

Quickly showering and shaving and laying out the specified clothing (he got to use the tie a 2nd time), Larrie awaited confirmation ratifying the commitment.  Not receiving the call, he went down to the bus stop and retrieved Jessie from the school bus.  Still no callback and after awhile, Larrie figured he wasn't needed, and began to settle into the after school routine with Jessie. The phone rang, and the driver was almost at the house and needed directions.  Scrambling to get dressed, and Jessie off to our friends the Heihn's, Larrie was off on his adventure.

The first clue that something did not jive with the perceived came when the vehicle turned North at Marathahalli Circle.  Airport Road is straight through the circle towards the West.  Larrie inquired of the destination, having considered a kidnapping plot, and was told that the shoot was at Yelahanka.  Oh, THAT airport road - not named that, but literally, the road to the new airport, which is way up North from where we live.  Drat! This is going to take longer than perceived.

Sending an update message to Alli, Larrie affixed the tie and nestled into the seat for the long drive.  Arriving at the site of the shoot about an hour later, Larrie got out of the vehicle and was ushered in to meet the director.  The location was a dhaba, roadside bar, somewhere in Yelahanka.  Small buildings surround a central courtyard, which in turn is surrounded by a perimeter wall.  The courtyard was mostly covered by a tree canopy.  

One of the buildings looked to be used for the delivery of food, which is where Larrie found the director.  Accompanying the director were the two main actors of the movie.  Again, another offer of food and some idle chit-chat to pass the time and make one feel welcome.  

The director directed various activities in native tongue, the actors hung out.  After about an hour, someone took Larrie to the makeup guy in the courtyard as apparently he was not white enough.  Makeup was comprised of two guys, the "artist" and the lackey with the bag o'stuff.  The encounter was complete with huffiness, pomp, and yea, whatever - quite comical actually.  Next the wardrobe guy showed up with a suit jacket - Larrie had to buy the tie, but he does not have a jacket in India.  Being the Mr. of the house does not require the silk smoking jacket anymore.

A little more hanging out while the evening disappeared into darkness.  People were doing this and that on the set.  Larrie stood around watching the lighting guys do what they do, and the camera guys change the tripod from a four foot tall to a two foot tall model and reposition the camera for the next shot.  Movie cameras are pretty big!

All of a sudden an increase in noise indicated that the scene was to begin, and Larrie was told to sit in a chair at the head of a table in a different bungalow on the perimeter of the courtyard - the "drinking" bungalow.  Camera guys checked the lighting of his face with a light meter while another guy measured the distance from the camera to his head.  These two functions must be important as these two guys measured frequently.  The two actors took their positions - the primary star of the movie to the left, and the other to the right.  Larrie was dead on to the camera.

The director came and described the scene and the needed actions.  The actors collaborated with the director as to how to do the scene (in native tongue, so Larrie hadn't a clue), and then they coached Larrie about what was needed.  The needed action was a little over the top - a bit Jerry Lewis, and Larrie commented to the director that choosing a stoic American may not get him the effusive gaiety he was seeking.  The scene was practiced 3-4 times, and it took four takes before the director accepted the scene.

Next came some closeup work.  The camera guys had to change out the camera lens and filters, and the lighting guys needed to adjust the lighting.  The scene called for a closeup of Larrie, which is pretty scary.  After 3-4 takes, it was accepted, and Larrie was asked to to mill in the courtyard while similar shots were done of the two main actors.

It's hard to know just who is who on the set.  Larrie was pretty sure that some locals or groupies were hanging with the crew as some began to inquire about who he was.  He should have made up some story about Clint Eastwood or such to really give them a thrill, but, no, it was just ol'Lar.  The canopy of trees were full of medium sized bats feeding on some tree part.  In the darkness, it was hard to see their objective, and hard to dodge the activity.  The bats were not unlike the groupies, and Larrie was glad to be called back in for the last scene.

Another 20-30 minutes in front of the camera and the director declared that Larrie's work was completed.  Back in a vehicle headed home, he got as far as the main road when the phone goes off, and the director wants him back.  Turning around and traveling about half km, the director calls again to say that Larrie is not required and to take him home.  Another iteration of the sequence bring-him-back, no, take-him-home, and Larrie was home about 9:15.

All in all, being part of a movie is quite interesting.  However, Larrie does not harbor any thoughts regarding a career change, even though the feedback on the set was positive.  He now appears twice in the same movie - his voice for a different actor in once scene, and his body in a different scene.  We await the opportunity to see who's voice gets dubbed over him.  Only in Inda can one have such a split dimensional avatar.  Maybe he should work harder on transcendental meditation and pull himself back together before the next movie call.