MADGAON EXPRESS PRODUCTION
OFF THE RAILS The decision to shoot on an ARRI ALEXA 35 marked a milestone as the first theatrical feature film in India to use the camera
“He’s a passionate person, very driven and always looking to excel in what he is doing. During my interactions with him as an actor, I clearly understood the fact he’s not only great at what he does, but also has a strong sense of storytelling, dialogue and mise-en-scène. While I would give him instructions to help the camera angle or movement – or even a lighting mark – he would keep those things in mind. That’s the mark of not just a great actor, but a person who understands the grammar of filmmaking. “The script for Madgaon Express was hilarious and I already knew Kunal as a person. Plus, Excel Entertainment is one of the best film studios in India, so everything fell into place. I said straight away that I wanted to do this film.” The initial conversations between Afsar and Kemmu about the look of Madgaon Express revolved around the lack of visual finesse in comedies. “The look is often compromised in Indian comedies,” explains Afsar. “The visuals for us had to be perfect and not a shoddily shot comedy. If the comedy works, then people often don’t care about frames, camera angles, lighting and camera
movement – but we consciously wanted to keep in mind that it should look a certain way. Also, since my background is in fine art, I enjoy creating colour palettes and love painting with light. In the scene when the characters are in the airport, for example, this moment is a form of happiness; I tried to reflect that through the colours. “In the room where the main characters first figure out the drugs in the bed, the colour of the walls are yellow, as this is the colour of madness. It’s doing something to the audience’s mood without them knowing about it. All those colour theories were there in my mind and I was trying to apply them, but it has to be subtle as you don’t want the audience to go off the story. Kunal and I discussed these things in detail while Prachi Deshpande, our production designer, beautifully incorporated all those details into the final production. “I truly believe that, in addition to a good script and great performances, mise-en-scène plays a crucial role in the overall representation of a scene,” continues Afsar. “Creating a cohesive colour palette, along with thoughtful
sets, costume and lighting choices, subconsciously leaves a long-lasting impression on the audience. Fortunately, we had talented actors in our film who delivered strong performances, resulting in a satisfying overall experience for the audience. The trio, Divyendu (Dodo) Pratik (Pinku) and Avinash (Ayush) are amazing actors and they had such great comic timing, which translated wonderfully on screen. Also, Upendra Limaye, Chhaya Kadam and Nora Fatehi performed beautifully. As a cinematographer, THE VISUALS FOR US HAD TO BE perfect AND NOT A shoddily shot comedy ”
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