Getting Into the Skin of My Character

May 30, 2018

I had started acting after over six years. This was my first role after a long gap and it did take me a day or two to adjust. The thing that changed it for me was my get up. I was restless throughout the day but as I walked into my dress tent outside the cricket ground, I started to get a feel for my character and role. As soon as the makeup man started putting my beard and tying my turban, I started to get a fresh wave of energy. Then slowly, I wore my blue Shalwar Kameez and then the navy blue coat with a skull cap in my pocket. Yes, this was feeling right. I was getting back to my rhythm as an actor. But the final touches of the face makeup still had to be done till I could safely walk on the set to greet the director and get instructions from the film assistant directors. I was given a mike and made to stand in the middle of the pitch. I started rehearsing my lines and got into my Afghan tone and character. I adapted to give the Afghan lines and added a few words for effect.

During breaks, I would wander away from the crowd to the edge of the field to try and get the feel of the role. Then I video filmed myself delivering a few lines with an Afghan accent and mannerisms. “Wallah subhuhan Allah Afghani khan kaye ga tom wallah…” I was loud and must have scared the others. Soon, a sizeable crowd gathered as I revered my role and used my video to play it as if to correct any mistakes that I was making. The kids loved it and I showed them the film. Most of the other actors thought that I was a real fine actor as I could just get lost in my world and would often be seen mumbling and rehearsing all alone away in the far corners of my tent. They really thought I was some great method actor and the whole unit looked up to me.

I then started trying out the wooden toy guns that the soldiers and commanders were using. I posing with them as if I was the Taliban general getting ready for battle. Over the next four days, I would slip even deeper into my role. The getup and costume did the trick and enhanced my acting experience.

By adminin Kyrgyzstan, others

Philosophy with Muaazam

May 30, 2018

Kyrgyzstan is a relatively quiet country and not very densely populated. The main town of Bishkek mostly has all the amenities that a capital city should have like airport, malls, eateries, hotels, transportation, taxi, salons and bars. The town is a maze of lanes running across each other. You can find gardens and greenery all around the city. Muaazam Bhat was my roommate in Olive as I slept with him during the shoot. A fellow Kashmiri, Muaazam was a devout Muslim and many times, I had to wait outside the room when he would be praying to Allah and performing the Namaz. This Kashmiri had a thick brown beard and a lean body. He was as tall as me I suppose and enjoyed eating fruits and dates during the day.

I went around the city bookshops and malls taking videos with my GoPro. Because of no shooting and delays, we overslept most days. It was very hot in the afternoon to venture out of our AC rooms. There was an expression of peace on Muaazam’s face all the time. He was at peace with himself and had a calm slow purposeful walk. I gifted him a free copy of my book but it was not until the very last night before pickup that we got embroiled in some heavy conversation about life, philosophy and faith.

Being a Muslim, he had his views about sex, marrying four wives and the search of truth within. He sure looked like a man who had tasted the inner reaches through meditation, Sadhana and prayer. I am sure he went into trances while performing the Namaz.

“Tho aap ne zindegi mein kya sikha?” He asked me as I lay on the sofa in the lobby of the hotel. “Very easy. Everything in this world is transient. What you have today, you will not tomorrow and the same goes for your relationships. There is nothing like success and failures. They are both imposters.” I gave him a piece of my mind.

We knew that it was our last night in the city together. It is then that I told him about the tragedy of my life and the demise of my father. Bhat was stunned but then smiled, “You are one tough nut, my brother. You can teach us a lot through such a deeply personal experience.” He understood the evangelist hidden within me and the spirit with which I wanted to travel the world spreading love, wisdom, peace and joy to every human being. There, I made my global vision and the vision of my Travelthon clear to my roommate. “I have tasted the inner riches through mediation and renunciation of material death and things. I have done the inner journey and have been lost in its energies, light and wisdom. I have known it very closely but the end of that path is only Moksha or Nirvana when the mind and body drop and the soul is released into the universal consciousness or essence.”

I explained to him in great detail about my love for OSHO and the various chakras I was able to arise while doing his meditation and how I would laugh for hours after doing the Nathbhram meditation in particular. Muaazam and I finally connected that night as I had to be awake to catch my flight to the airport before dawn. “I will read your book. Have you written all the things you just spoke about in the book?” He was indeed excited about the content of my book. I just shook my head and said “Yes”. Then I walked out of the room towards my waiting taxi.

By adminin Kyrgyzstan, others

Babrik and Bacha Bazi

May 29, 2018

As I walked out on the steps of our hotel Olive, I was greeted by a 6 foot 4 inch tall Pathan by the name of Babrik. He was from Afghanistan but due to the dire circumstances of the country, he had fled to Sweden 20 years back. This was an Afghan with a jet-black beard.

I greeted him and gave him a free copy of my book Survival which I had been distributing to people throughout the shoot. “Tell me, Babrik. Why do you have this tradition of Bacha Bazi in Afghanistan? I mean, you guys make the kids dance and then even have sex with them. Don’t you think it is wrong?” I asked him inquisitively. “Well, you see, young men are not allowed to talk to girls or interact with them. If they do, they will be beaten by the girl’s family or even killed. Parents arrange marriages and we are expected to fall in love after marriage. This had led to the suppression of sex and has resulted in the act of Bacha Bazi. It is our tradition so we cannot say it is wrong.” He tried to explain with a straight face.

So it was a tradition, I was told. Islam does have its divines when it comes to sexual practices. Apart from fondling kids, there are also rules on how to have sex with your wife and what the appropriate sex positions are that one can use while doing the act. You can’t have anal sex or go doggy style with your spouse nor can you have sex with her by putting her on top. The right position is to screw your woman sideways as both of you lie together on the bed. One can have four wives but one can only keep a wife after the first wife is agreeable. Now that must be difficult. I can see that no woman would allow her husband to marry again and again, but the Quran allows it.

Oral sex is looked down upon and sex only for procreation is encouraged as Babrik explained the quirks of the Islamic faith. “Well, I like the way you guys pray five times and use it to meditate. The inward journey can be very sweet and rewarding. The kinds of energies one can tap into when one radiates and goes inwards. They used to radiate out of me like vibrations at times.” I got excited as I tried to tell my Afghani Friend about OSHO’s Nathbhram meditation and about the riches of the inward journey.

“My brother is the minister of social media and communications in Afghanistan. I go there every year to be with my people and live in the villages.” He got nostalgic as he spoke about his motherland. “But is it safe? I hope there are no beheadings.” I jerked up and asked him. “No, no, it is safe. Kabul is a big city with its own police and institutions. Nowadays, every country has some terrorist activity. So you should not believe everything you see on TV.” He tried to explain.

I guess if I am booking a ticket to Afghanistan, Babrik and my other Afghani friends will be my ticket to the land of Kabuliwala and Khajoor. Not to mention the fine taste of Afghani charas that grows wild in this land. “It is so soft, the charas you can just pull. It is like brown tar. Oh, one puff and Masha Allah, Masha Allah.”

By adminin Kyrgyzstan, others, Torbaaz

Liza and Her Orange Hijab – Torbaaz Behind the Scenes

May 28, 2018

The women were the most fascinating of the lot in this part of the world. They were fair with Persian features. Some had rounded Mongolian eyes and high cheekbones. In the midst of the Torbaaz shoot, I spotted Liza, a local girl wearing a bright orange silken hijab covered from head to toe. She looked wonderful and her fair pink cheeks glowed in the sun. I took a few pictures of her with close-ups as she posed for me with a smile.

There was pandemonium on the cricket ground as kids from either team played the game while they were being shot by almost 6 cameras that were placed strategically around the ground. The ground would be abuzz with activity as the theme music of the film would play and the crowd would go berserk with joy. On one side was a rock band with a drum kit and saxophone. On cue, they would start performing as the maddening crowd would rush towards them and start dancing for joy.

The entire shoot was a rush of blood for me as I ran from one end of the cricket field to the other with drones flying overhead. A team of three different cameras circled us from either side. Just to add a tad bit of masala to the proceedings, bombs would blow off from the edge of the film and terrorists from Afghanistan would open fire on the crowd. I almost lost my turban as I tried to make way from the stampede that took place. It was all fun and mayhem in the middle of the film as the cameramen circled us taking long and close shots. I tried my best to be in front and am sure that I must have made it in some of the shots.

As if on cue, Dutt would come into the crowd and pull out the stumps. The kids would hug him and he would wave his fists in the air dancing with joy as team Torbaaz enacted the winning scenes.

Food was another activity that I indulged in. Lunch was chicken, rice and dal. At times, Chinese fried rice and chicken Manchurian were also served to us. Evenings used to be typical with meals, fruits, dates and juices. There was always coffee and tea breaks where biscuits, buns and pizzas were served to the crowd who patiently waited to perform to the director’s tune.

Local kids dressed in Pathan suits and colourful turbans took photos as Sanjay Dutt walked in and out of his scenes. He looked apart as he waited for the director to tell him the sequence of his shots. I managed to grab a conversation or two with the locals who were part of the crowd. They were some Mongol tribes who had come to Bishkesh from Northern Pakistan.

The evening sunset would create an orange and purple hue on top of the silver foiled snow mountains that surrounded our city. We had a clear view of this breath-taking view of the mountains from the ground. By the end of the evening, my feet began to ache with all the running and activity of the shoot and I decided to head for my tent where I could do a costume change and hand over my get up to the makeup artist. I think I managed to capture the essence of ‘behind the scenes’ activity of this majestic Bollywood film.

By adminin Kyrgyzstan, others, Torbaaz

Torbaaz in the Land of Kyrgyzstan

May 28, 2018

I had taken a direct flight from Delhi to the capital of Kyrgyzstan called Bishkek. The flight was comfortable. We had a pick up from the airport to the hotel called Olive. I, in my state of absent-mindedness, lost my passport on the conveyer belt while we were checking out of the security area of the airport. So, I had to make an abrupt U-turn to fetch it back as I only realised this when I had reached our hotel. Yes, indeed, this was a large gathering of a Bollywood crew to shoot the Sanjay Dutt starrer Torbaaz.

Next three days went by quickly in the hotel as my shots kept getting delayed. I did, however, manage to take a tour of the city and visit the local malls, shopping stores and bookshops. With my GoPro in hand, now also equipped with a mouthpiece, I shot the city of Bishkek.

The city is surrounded by snow peaked mountains. In the midst of it all was our rugged cricket field where a match was to be played. I played the commentator in the match. This is a country populated with Mongols, Turkish Muslims and Russians. The currency of the county is Som. The official languages are Kyrgyz and Russian. People here have a mixed aryan and oriental look. It has ancient cultures dating back to 2,000 years. Kyrgyzstan was also part of the silk route. I had a lot of fellow actors here from Afghanistan as the film is based in Afghanistan. It is about the tussle between the Taliban and Sanjay Dutt who wants to bring about change through his cricket academy.

I got my chance to meet the legendary Khal Nayak and even managed to give him my book Survival as a gift, but alas, I did not get a snap with him. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the shoot, the running on the field and the pandemonium as the bombs exploded in the background. These scenes were shot with drones and a lot of aerial footage was collected.

The schedule was good. We had a pick up in the morning by 10 am and we would shoot till 8:30 pm before we headed for dinner.I even got the attention of a few Afghani chicks who were worried that I had captured them inappropriately through my camera and GoPro. I was able to calm them down and tell them I am a humble travel blogger and do this for a living.

Here, the afternoons are very hot but the evenings turn cold. One needs a jacket as the sky turns orange and the night holds sway. My best discovery was a packet of Sobranie which I managed to buy from a store – gold tip Sobranie cigarette with a brown cover. Man, this was the smokes of the kings and only the best could afford these. I loved smoking them and flashed it around the unit. In no time, I had finished both the packets of this royal smoke. Kids cheer around as the locals acted as part of the cheering crowd. The rest of the Afghani actors were either dressed up in military attire or in the Taliban get up. It was only on the third day that action for me began as I put on my Pathani suit, cap and beard to come into my character. I paraded around the grounds posing with guns and AK-47 rifles all being part of the shooting prop.

Yes, Bishkek. I had finally arrived in this ancient and wondrous land.

By adminin Kyrgyzstan, others

On My Way to Kyrgyzstan: Torbaaz Shoot

May 20, 2018

So now it has finally begun to sink in. My visa and passport arrived. I have a 30-day entry visa to Kyrgyzstan for the Torbaaz shoot. As I opened my mail, pop came my air ticket to Bishkek the capital city of this country. An ancient rough and rocky terrain, this is an ancient land inhabited by the Mongols, Russians and the Turkish Muslims. It has an amazing ancient Islamic culture with Islamic architecture, dome-shaped mosques and minarets are all over this country. It was also the silk route where, in ancient times, silk used to be exported from the Mediterranean countries to China.

My shoot for the Sanjay Dutt starrer Torbaaz film is in Bishkek and I am all packed up for the journey. A role as a cricket commentator in the film just fell into my lap by chance. An old friend who is looking after casting in the film called me up and asked me to send an audition to him through my phone. I promptly read the script and gave the audition. I was selected for the part in Torbaaz within days. All in all, its a six days work and I might get a scene with Sanju Baba as well. So I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Yes, of course, the delicious Nargis Fakhri will also be there as the female lead of Torbaaz with the veteran actor Rahul Dev playing the villain.

Looks and sounds like it would be the battle of the macho men on the rugged terrain of Kyrgyzstan. There will be a cricket match played and we all will be a part of it. That’s all I know and that’s all I can tell. You got to wait for this blockbuster to get released. The movie Torbaaz is being produced by the Wave Group that once was headed by Ponty Chadha.

I am now packing my gear to capture it on my GoPro and send you some exciting videos from the Torbaaz shoot. I know you can’t wait but good things only come to those who wait. So wait and watch this space only on TikkusTravelthon.in. It would be great if Sanju Baba said those words to promote my blog. My mission will be to get a testimonial from him.