Bollywood goes back and forth in time

NEW DEHLI:

Whether it is rewinding back to the 1910s or fast forwarding into 2050, Bollywood film-makers are going back and forth in time with films like Teri Meri Kahaani and Dangerous Ishq, whose stories span over decades.

And what’s their biggest challenge? It’s in creating the right ambience and weaving a well-connected story. Kunal Kohli’s upcoming romantic offering Teri Meri Kahaani, starring Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, is set in three time periods — 1910, 1960 and 2012. Each has its own flavour.

Similar is the case with Vikram Bhatt’s Dangerous Ishq, the story of which spans over 500 years. Said to be based on the theme of reincarnation, the movie will see actors Rajniesh Duggal and Karisma Kapoor in varied looks as the story travels from one era to another.

According to film historian SMM Ausaja, it is the writer’s prerogative to pen a lucid script, the director’s job to track trivial details and the editor’s work to cut a film in a way that the audience doesn’t feel distracted. “I feel contented by making in such films. If a director makes the narrative less complex, it will be easier for the viewer to grasp it. Any confusion has to be credited to the script. Also, a lot depends on the depiction and the art direction. When you show a certain period in a film, it has to be well-researched,” said Ausaja.

Bhatt, who went back to the 15^th century for Dangerous Ishq, says it took a good amount of team effort to shape up the film with the authenticity for each era intact. “We did a lot of research in terms of setting, costumes, dialect and colour palette. Otherwise, we could have lost the authenticity. So whether it was art direction, costumes, dialogues or colour, all departments did their individual research and worked as a team to perfect the look of the film,” said Bhatt.

In the recent past, the transition in the looks of characters and the ambience have been portrayed in films like Veer Zaara, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Action Replay, Love Aaj Kal, Mausam, 7 Khoon Maaf and Rockstar.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2012.