Bollywood extra work! Your experiences...

Everyone I know seems to have an exciting story about the time they were extras in a Bollywood! What's yours??


We were approached the evening before, and asked to do a big disco scene in a nightclub for an upcoming blockbuster. VVV excited, we arrived outside MacDonalds on Colaba Causeway at 8 o'clock the next morning, and were taken by taxi to the train station, then on the mumbai inner city train, then a rickshaw to a studio on the outskirts of the city.

It wasn't a nightclub, and it wasn't even a studio decked out like a nightclub - it was a hospital scene. Fair enough, we thought, it's still a Bollywood. We were taken into a dressing room and were given awful nylon nurses uniforms (not even sexy nurse uniforms!). I reckon they got the boys and girls costumes mixed up, as the boys were wearing tight ones, and we were wearing tents!

Got out on set, and walked across the background over and over, while a 'hero' in the foreground said 'tonight's the night' into his mobile. We literally did about 40 takes. Went on and on like this, and by 2 o'clock, without food, water or any breaks, us foreigners decided to make a run for it. Unfortunately got caught by the guy who was supposed to be looking after us, who promised to take us for lunch at another studio a few minutes away.

Got to the other studio, and were lead up these filthy stairs into a filthy kitchen, where a man with a humped back was ladelling spoonfuls of the most disgusting looking slop onto tin plates. The Irish guy nodded towards the door, and we all legged it down the stairs and out of the studio, and into rickshaws, followed the guy who was looking after us and one of his colleagues, who were shouting and ordering the rickshaw drivers not to go. Because we were a fair way out of the city, the rickshaw drivers didn't speak English, and we attracted an enormous crowd of locals. It was frustrating, but hilarious, looking back on it.

Caught the train back to the city, but it was rush hour, and we were caught in a riot of people getting on and off the train, and ended up in the luggage compartment. After all that we fancied a drink, so the group of us went looking for a bar, but realised that the place was dry, because of the election. Eventually found somewhere who would serve us, but was pretending to be shut, so we drank cocktails in the dark - we actually had to feel our way to our seats. On our way out, the barman warned us darkly 'do not divulge...'


Yeah, so that was the weirdest day ever. Sorry for the freakishly long post , but some things are just to bizarre to post quickly!!

o completely forgot:

it wasn't a Bollywood movie at all, but a new sim card advert! Naughty scouts!

Sounds completely mad !

They must have been really pissed off that you scarpered - it will have ruined their continuity ! That will teach them to 'look after their staff'... What was the deal ? Were you gonna get some paise ?

We were promised Rs500. I think thats pretty average for a days work as an extra. Didn't get it though, because of all the running away!

Hi KQ,

I had a good experience as told in this previous IM Bollywood post

Heh, nice story KQ... even if it didn't turn out how it was supposed to. That was pretty crappy of them to mislead people like that. I haven't made an effort to look for an extras part although I'd like to as it'd make a cool souvenir (a movie, that is, not an ad for a sim card!)

In any case I leave Mumbai tonight, so will hopefully be able to make time to look into it when I return in December.

I worked on Amir Khan's next movie called The Rising. They rounded tons of foreigners up in Goa...paid for our overnight sleeper bus to Pune...we all had a dance audition where a chosen few were selected for a ballroom scene. I was one of the 8 girls chosen out of more than 200 and got to dress up like a princess in a Victorian gown and work on the scene for over a week.

We had 4 days of ballroom dance training and then 5 days of shooting. It was hard work getting into costume (the corset was tight!!!) and working all night until 7am. We slept until 3pm and then back on set at 4pm. Generally it was pretty organized although many foreigners complained. We made 1200 Rupees per day and had all expenses paid for...to and from Goa...hotel and all meals.

I've been to India many times...a total of 2 years spent there overall and this was definitely one of the highlights.
The movie comes out in January and will be internationally released as they are trying to win an award...Amir Khan's last movie Lagaan tried, but did not win so he's trying again this time.

Look for me as the centre couple in the ballroom scene...I'm in the orange and red dress!

wow!!! from avid trekkers to film stars indiamikers are everywhere!! lol ya i would definately watch out for you in the rising i think one can say that if the banner which approaches you is reputed and esteemed they would be professional (like the experience of "the rising") but else everything will be shabby and shoddy!!! but then again thats just my opinion . i dont know for sure

I was approached in Colaba and told it would be a Bollywood movie....about 8 of us got the train out of town, then a rickshaw, then a boat, then a jeep, must've been about 1.5 hours from Colaba all up. Turned out to be a soap opera called It's My Life. All we did was walk up and down the beach in the background for HOURS and HOURS!!!!! But it WAS funny , the star thought he was such a stud and it was just entertaining watching him strut around. By 2am we were all getting a bit frustrated and tired, we tried to negotiate a leaving time but they kept on saying 'just 10 more minutes'....by 3am we decided it was enuff and demanded to be taken home, we were dropped off a long way from anywhere but given directions back to Colaba. We ended up taking crazy rickshaw rides and jumping on and off trains which was probably the most fun part of the night!!!! Took some great shots of all the camera action and behind the scenes shots....showed the photos to a friend who was trying to adjust the resolution on my camera....and what do you know...he accidently arraised them!!!! I could've killed him but I got over it!! We got paid R500 for it, it was a LONG day, it was fun, would I do it again.....probably

Indiamad... sucks about your photos. Regrettably for me, I was unable to catch a train back to Mumbai which would have allowed me enough time to do something like that. But a really nice couple I had met in Mysore later got to be in a film in Tamil Nadu. She played a nurse and he was a businessman. Can't remember what it was called now... but will check the email again and see if I can track down a copy.

I guess I'll have to go back to India *just one more time*.

http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/feat...man/index.html

Article written by a friend who I met while working on the Rising last year in Pune...Besides the 1200 RUpees (dancing extras, the foot challenged got 800-1000) there were also 2 meals, all the chai and bottled water you could drink and accommodation. Fortunately I got their after the others and got my own room in a guesthouse. Did it for 10 days and had a great time. Yes, also lots of whiney people about this that and the other...

Seems to be more than a few films shot in Pune. Wish I'd known that when I was stuck there after missing my train out. That was truly the low point of my three months. My posts at the time made no secret of that!