Shiva Baba Naik Line Producer
Claim
to fame: Has worked on more than 400 films shot in
Goa, including ‘Agneepath’ (1989), ‘The Bourne Supremacy’, ‘Singham’, ‘Main
Azad Hoon’, ‘Ek Villain’, and almost all films of Rohit Shetty and Priyadarshan
shot in Goa
Which
was your first project? How did you get it?
My father, Baba Naik, used to run a travel
agency and as a hobby, he used to assist filmmakers with location scouting. My
big break came in 1989. I was around 25 years old then. My father had to be
hospitalised due to an ailment so I took up working on ‘Agneepath’. I remember
the set of Mandwa village that was erected near the Dona Paula plateau. The
producer of the film, Yash Johar, was instrumental in guiding me and being my
mentor in the early years of my career.
What
do you like about this line of work?
In this line of work, nobody is a slacker.
Right from the spot boys to the directors, everyone is a hard worker. Also,
films that are shot here generate revenue for the state. The government, the
local junior artists… everyone benefits from it. If you consider one shoot, a
minimum of 150 people from the cast and crew of the film come to Goa. Revenue
is generated through their accommodation. Also, with films being shot in Goa, the
government gets direct money and free publicity. E.g. The shot that we took
from the helicopter while shooting for ‘Chennai Express’ turned out to be very
good in the final cut. Prior to the release of the film, around 200 jeeps used
to ply on the route. Post ‘Chennai Express’, the number of tourist jeeps has
gone to 450.
Any
one project that you have worked on that turned out to be memorable? Why?
It has to be ‘Chennai Express’. We were
shooting at Dudhsagar Falls with 700 people. The logistics of the cast and
crew, their food, etc was a challenge. Also, we had to adjust our schedule as
per the train timings, as we were shooting on a single railway track.
Name: Amit Asnodkar
Role: Casting Director
Claim
to fame: Has worked on several feature films shot
in Goa, including ‘Shamitabh’, ‘Robot’, ‘Guzaarish’, the Golmaal series, ‘Singham’,
‘All The Best’, ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’, ‘Singh is Bliing’ and upcoming films
like ‘Drishyam’, ‘Rocky Handsome’, etc and ad films such as Makemytrip.com,
Bumchums, Quikr, Big Bazaar, etc.
Which
was your first project? How did you get it?
In 2003, I had just finished my graduation
in Economics and Political Science for St Xavier’s College, Mapusa and I was
sure that I wanted to do something on my own. Through mutual friends, I came in
contact with Shiva Naik, whom I consider my mentor. Shiva liked my
communication skills and the ability to influence a person and he asked me to
work on ‘My Borther Nikhil’. There has been no looking back since then.
What
do you like about this line of work?
As a casting director, one gets to meet a
lot of new people. There are no boundaries as far as this profession is
concerned. Also, it feels nice and satisfying to be able to give people an
opportunity to feature on the big screen.
Any
one project that you have worked on that turned out to be memorable? Why?
While working on the Ajay Devgn, Sanjay
Dutt starrer ‘All The Best’, I had to provide 800 people in a day. We had 25
buses moving to and from Canacona early in the morning. It was a mammoth task
but I executed it to perfection.
Any
one artist that you have worked with, that you admire/draw inspiration from?
Stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Mithun
Chakraborty are very punctual. Rajnikanth and Hrithik Roshan are very humble.
Also, I have learnt the tricks of the trade from Shiva Naik. The discipline
that is required for this job I learnt from my father, Devidas Asnodkar.
What
is challenging about your job? What are the qualities that are required to
execute the required tasks?
Not many people in Goa are aware about the
process of casting. With a large number of people taking undue advantage of
their position, you have to really convince people that this is for real. It
also takes a toll on one’s physical and mental health, at times. Finding new
people at all times is another challenge, as you cannot repeat the faces. Also,
it can be a bit tough to handle people who are facing the camera for the first
time.
Name: Newton Dias
Role: Casting Director
Claim
to fame: Has worked on several feature films shot
in Goa, like ‘Ra One’, ‘Bhootnath’, ‘I Hate Luv Storys’, ‘Finding Fanny’, ‘Force’,
‘Nachom-ia Kumpasar’, etc and ad films such as Canon Powershot, Chevrolet Beat,
Apollo Munich, etc
Which
was your first project? How did you get it?
It was totally unplanned. I was about 20
and modeling for Lacto Calamine; Jerry Pinto was doing the casting and
production. He asked me if I’d be interested in doing the casting for another
ad film that was about to happen. Without formal training in the industry, I
agreed to execute it relying on my enthusiasm and never-say-die attitude. I
coordinated the models and extras for the shoot and learnt the first principle
of the industry – to make every person your friend, and this principle helps me
till date.
What
do you like about this line of work?
While working, one gets to travel, meet new
people and learn new things. Being a casting director is always creative and
satisfying. It is never boring or monotonous. You get to meet a lot of young
people and their energy is infectious. You can direct it and tap and work with
it for your personal growth.
Any
one project that you have worked on that turned out to be memorable? Why?
While working with Apollo Munich team, we
shot with almost 1000 people. I think they were the most creative people as
they shot six different setups in one day in Divar. Also, in my initial years,
I bunked my law exams to work on three different shoots happening in Goa
simultaneously.
Any
one artist that you have worked with, that you admire/draw inspiration from?
Director Onir, who I worked with on one of
the films, is a very creative person. He knows how to manage his time. We
finished the shots very quickly. Nobody was called for the whole day and left
to stagnate. He is one of the quickest directors that I have worked with. Mahesh
Bhatt is another director who knows his shots, angles and screenplay really
well. He will explain the shot to the actors in a simple way, you shoot for the
scene and you’re done.
BOX:
What
is line production?
A Line Producer facilitates the location
permissions and ground realities like generators, accommodation of the cast and
crew, catering, arrangement of a technical setup, and practically anything and
everything that may be required to ensure smooth production.
What
is casting?
A Casting Director is responsible for providing
junior artistes, character features, models and anything to do with the human
resource required to feature in a shot if deemed necessary by the director of
the film.
