A scene before and as a theatrical production begins.
Shooting the Jauhar (Hindu practice of mass self-immolation by women) scene:
The minimalistic set, ironically, spoke of spatial grandeur. For massive productions of Indian periodic films, sets are a key element; the director had crafted a fine ambience of rich shades of brown such as brunette, umber and ochre. Symbolizing the pristine and regality of an indestructible fortress, the sculptures of motifs including tree of life, lotus and women entrenched the ethos of Rajasthani culture. Almost a civilization of its own, the scene was filled with spot boy’s leaping here and there to serve the actors, cinematographers setting the accurate frame, background artists practicing and the creative team guiding the visual and sound effects group. From a distance away, the set was a collocation of cacophony of sounds, people scurrying here and there with lurching lights.
Moving closer to the cinema-scape, the roles of every individual were more discernible. Cinematographers adjusted the camera grid to ensure the protagonist would appear on the intersecting lines on the frame to make the shot more pleasing to the eye. Therefore, the expertise in shot composition would allow the cinematographer to capture a symmetrical shot and lead the viewers eye to the center of the screen to garner more attention. Assistance crew scampered behind the sets to repaint the faded colors and the lighting team, dimmed the lights at the latter part of the set to create a ‘bokeh’ effect. The director demanded to fabricate a scene of a river of blood, in the form of ladies in vermillion sarees moving unitedly, who would eventually surrender to the blazing fire. Imaginations of the director were spectacular; it is after all an art of making a closed, compact set to resemble a site where a person is liberating one’s soul from its body…
Observing around, the make up artists were occupied in decorating the actress who was revising her lines- golden highlighters brushed on her cheek, bold winged eyeliner, conspicuous burgundy lipstick and embellishing her neck with a turquoise blue carcanet made her look like a goddess!
Everything was ready. The director announced: Lights, camera and action!
The spotlight hit the actress as if it were greeting her eternal fire, it was so gleaming that it symbolized sunrise, bringing power and glory to the scene. Fans were brought closer to make the flowy hair of the actress move in a haphazard motion, foregrounding tension and dramatic effects. Heavy beats and thumping music enhanced the terrific aura of Rajasthani culture. Embroidery of gold metal, flattened wire couched with the red silk sarees, glistened and produced its own radiant sheen; it clearly depicted the river of blood cascading towards the sparks of fire creeping upwards developed by the VFX team! A phantasmagoric scene was produced!
Cut! The director enunciated, giving a complacent grin.