Toronto Star, [06/07/2002]

Wannabe actors flock to Atlantis Nightclub for movie shoot

Fahim Noorally squeezes himself into a spot right behind the camera. In front sit Bollywood veterans Amrish Puri and Kabir Bedi at a table set for a lavish lunch – Canadian style.

Large platters of pasta, salad and fruits cluster around elaborate floral arrangements. The flowers offset a huge swirl of mauve gauze-like cloth girded by a toy train carrying a dizzying load of liquor – Triple Sec, vodka, cognac and whisky.

No Labatt’s for Bollywood.

“Shot three, take seven,” announces assistant director Chitra Shah.

Noorally quickly scribbles down the numbers in the daily shooting report book of the film. It’s hard to manoeuvre in the tight space.

The tenuous periphery of the set teems with camera and light operators, costumiers, spot boys, make-up artists, choreographers, dancers, a chai-wallah or two. And onlookers.

Earlier in the morning, a local South Asian radio program had announced the filming of The Hero at the Atlantis Nightclub in Ontario Place.

A few hours later, security guards are barricading the doors to stop the throngs that showed up in their Sunday best to get a glimpse of their favourite Bollywood actors. Those who get in try to take photos of the stars.

“This is way too chaotic for me,” Noorally grins. “I can’t deal with the stress.

“I was in between school and my friend, who is helping the production team, asked me if I could just drive around. Now I am helping out the directorial team.”

In the balcony above the set, a group of girls chat quietly. Some of the “background dancers” sleep on the floor beside them, one of them still in her pink tutu outfit.

Decked out in evening wear, Natasha James, Jayanthi Venkadasalam, Nerissa Drepaul, Sonia Toor, Neha Goyal, Madeleine Massey and Radha Ramdhin, are part of the elaborate dance numbers.

“We’re not quite sure,” says Drepaul when asked to describe the dance. “It’s a modern dance.”

Ranging in age from 13 to 20, the girls say that the long hours of shooting can be tiring. But Toor says she might do this again.

“I want to be a Bollywood actress,” she says. “This is a great way to get at it.”

“It would be cool to stay there (in India),” says Goyal. “But I am not sure about the food. It would be different, right? And (the crew from India) laugh at my accent.”

Marc Anders peers down at his brother from the balcony. It’s his second day on the set and he still isn’t sure what he’s supposed to do. Yesterday he heard many of the extras wouldn’t be showing up, so he brought his girlfriend along. She’s got the role of a waitress.

“I think I am a security guard,” he shrugs, pointing to his long green (liveried) coat. “My brother has managed to get upgraded to sitting at the (lunch) table. He just hung around (down) there long enough.”

The North Bay resident was in town to promote his band when he heard of the shoot through a friend. He figured it would be an interesting experience.