Normally, filmmakers are sure of what they want and how they want to go about shooting their film unless challenged strongly by a technical issue.
Director Ram Madhvani was in the midst of a well-planned shoot with Kartik Aaryan, Mrunal Thakur and Amruta Subhash for Dhamaka when the Aarya helmer suddenly hit a roadblock.
“Compared to other directors, I plan my shoots differently. I follow a documentary approach and like to capture everything and every expression using the 360-degree system. I had to shoot Dhamaka in 10 days and had installed between three to 10 cameras. People do not have restrictions on the set; they are at liberty to move around freely. For a performer, this is emancipation. I don't do it the traditional way,” Madhvani explains.
But one day something snapped. “On the fifth day of the shoot, we had seven cameras. After a shot I told my DOP and the team that it wasn't possible, let's go back to the traditional system of shooting with one camera,” he says.
After hearing his director's dilemma, Kartik stepped in and persuaded Madhvani to not veer away from his usual process. “He gave me the courage to follow my conviction. For an actor to motivate me and help me actualise my vision has been a great collaborative strength from Kartik, Mrunal and Amruta. It made the shoot possible in the time frame we had set,” he smiles contentedly.
Meanwhile, the trailer of Dhamaka has left Kartik's fans shell-shocked with his acting chops. It has registered over 38 million views across platforms. For his role in the film, Kartik has stepped into the shoes of an ex-journalist caught between the quandary of conscience and his career which took a hit following an incident. It's a change from the romcoms and dramas he has worked in so far. The movie will release on Netflix on November 19.
