Ranbir Kapoor is the newest entrant to Salman and Aamir Khan’s special clique — the guerrilla shooting stars. Even before the Kapoor scion reached Kolkata, to start shooting for Anurag Basu’s Barfi!, the director had decided to employ this independent filmmaking style.
“Anurag didn’t want to invite unwanted attention. Plus, clearing crowded bylanes and roads in Kolkata wouldn’t have been an easy job. So, by employing the guerrilla filmmaking style, he served the dual purpose,” says an unit hand from Barfi!.
As a result, Ranbir found himself in the midst of the chaos that surrounded locations such as Phool Market, Mullick Ghat, Old Tram Station, Dorjipada near Hathi Bagan (all in north Kolkata) and Laha Badi in Central Avenue (in central Kolkata).
Basu admits it was exciting to shoot the crowded spots, which included a few famous streets of Kolkata. “We deliberately went about doing it and came up with some great shots,” says the director.
“Ranbir too was excited to shoot a film in this novel style. All the crew members were briefed in advance about how to go about capturing the shot, while the actors were put in real locations,” says the unit hand.
Basu adds that people were “completely oblivious” to the fact that they were shooting a film. “And it has given us some great, natural reactions to capture, especially during the chase sequence. Suddenly, the locals were faced by the star Ranbir Kapoor running through their busy lanes and streets,” adds the director.
Barfi!, produced by UTV Motion Pictures, will release on July 13. Besides Ranbir, the film also stars Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D’Cruz.
