LAST WORD

people, who are vulnerable and not “Perfect!” it makes them unreal specially film stars, as anyways they are perfect in their films, and people want a different insight into them.
When we shoot with non actors like Sachin, Rahul Dravid, Sehwag or Saurav, we are very particular that the script makes them comfortable and gives them some natural business to do to distract them from “Acting” so that they look natural. With actors again we try and create situations where they look natural and not as if they are acting, this endears them to an audience more than any rhetoric can.
I remember an incident while shooting with Maneka Gandhi for Safal in Delhi. It was summer, the sun was hot as we were shooting at the Ridge at 6 am and Maneka was not a morning person. To boot she hated make-up.
So a very grumpy Maneka Gandhi was refusing to use make-up and the make-up girls were in tears. I walked in and as gently as possible, told her that the idea was not to tart her up with heavy duty make-up but to try and make her look fresh and natural and give her a no make-up feel. However, if she chose to look as bad as she felt at 6 am, then the choice was hers. She immediately cottened on and was very co-operative from then on. And she was so impressed by her look in the film that she not only adopted the line for her election campaign “Vote for Maneka Gandhi, Acha Hai!” but also insisted on the make-up girls whenever she had a major Press Conference. Needless to say she won!
(Prahlad Kakar is a renowned Ad filmmaker)


	Shooting with Stars - Prahlad Kakar

	Shooting with stars is a unique experience. Sometimes its tense sometimes it’s a cakewalk, depending on how much homework you have done. Homework, on the comfort zones of the star, whether he is a cricketer or a film star, or a politician. Homework is not just the star’s preferences and attitudes, but very importantly the script that is being

	If the script is lazy and expects the star value to carry the film, then it will FAIL! It will fail because it will not meet the expectations of the consumer, as they constantly want their stars performing and not just giving some cock and bull ‘gyaan’ unconvincingly on some product. Secondly, if the script is weak and lazy, then the star will vampire the brand and the consumer will only remember the star and not the product. It is very important that the script enhances the value of the star taking into consideration the stars natural abilities and balance it with a strong product story, where the product is the object of desire even for the star and the story has an ending that is surprisingly unpredictable and memorable.

					One of the best examples of good usage of stars is the Pepsi, Coke and Britannia commercials, where the films are script driven and they work with or without the stars. The star’s performance should add credibility and not the other way round. If the Ad is preachy and talks down to its audience, it will NOT work! Consumers look for a personal insight into their stars, which glossy magazines do not give. They should be portrayed as quirky and natural
	people, who are vulnerable and not “Perfect!” it makes them unreal specially film stars, as anyways they are perfect in their films, and people want a different insight into them. When we shoot with non actors like Sachin, Rahul Dravid, Sehwag or Saurav, we are very particular that the script makes them comfortable and gives them some natural business to do to distract them from “Acting” so that they look natural. With actors again we try and create situations where they look natural and not as if they are acting, this endears them to an audience more than any rhetoric can. I remember an incident while shooting with Maneka Gandhi for Safal in Delhi. It was summer, the sun was hot as we were shooting at the Ridge at 6 am and Maneka was not a morning person. To boot she hated make-up. So a very grumpy Maneka Gandhi was refusing to use make-up and the make-up girls were in tears. I walked in and as gently as possible, told her that the idea was not to tart her up with heavy duty make-up but to try and make her look fresh and natural and give her a no make-up feel. However, if she chose to look as bad as she felt at 6 am, then the choice was hers. She immediately cottened on and was very co-operative from then on. And she was so impressed by her look in the film that she not only adopted the line for her election campaign “Vote for Maneka Gandhi, Acha Hai!” but also insisted on the make-up girls whenever she had a major Press Conference. Needless to say she won! (Prahlad Kakar is a renowned Ad filmmaker)