Scores of junior artists draped in traditional Afghan robes with turbans wrapped around their heads take their positions at Chokhani Haveli, Mandawa (about 200 kilometres from Jaipur, Rajasthan). The showrunners of Netflix series Bard of Blood are filming a trivial, yet seemingly significant, scene here.
The sandy expanse of the Thar desert seems to have widened to include Mandawa in its horizon, as strong dusty winds leave us gasping for breath. Imagine the plight of actors who have to toil in the blistering sun, until the director approves the shot with a comforting — “Cut!”
Crew members run constantly, from pillar to post: operating bluetooth headsets with their index fingers, carefully receiving instructions. The cinematographer wields his camera from behind a fence. Supporting artistes take their respective positions on the ground, and wait for the lead actors — Emraan Hashmi and Kirti Kulhari — to turn up.
It takes about 40 minutes to set up the entire sequence but before the camera starts rolling, an assistant comes running to the cinematographer to point out a continuity mistake, one that could potentially ruin everything and prompt a reshoot. The error? A flag-like material with inscriptions in Pashto was missing in the previously set frame. It is clipped back onto the fence.
Emraan Hashmi on the set of ‘Bard of Blood’
Witnessing these scenes unfold are a group of journalists seated a few feet away from director Ribhu Dasgupta’s chair.
Adaptation roadblock
Dasgupta (of Te3n fame) is visibly relaxed about the proceedings. Bard of Blood , touted to be the next big Indian web series after successful Sacred Games , is adapted from a spy fiction novel of the same name by Bilal Siddiqi.
Ask Dasgupta what convinced them to adapt it into a seven-episode series, and he says, “To make a screenplay out of a book is very challenging. In fact, identifying the potential of a book itself is a big task. Take Dhoni for instance. Nobody would have thought that a small-town Ranchi guy would lead the country one day. Likewise, we believed in Bilal’s vision.”
Dasgupta adds that he gave the novel a read before he came on board, and as he flipped through the pages, he got so immersed in its world he began visualising it in his head. “I really liked it. It’s one of those books that has very precise descriptions. I think the writers (Mayank Tewari alongside Siddiqi) have done a fantastic job converting it into a screenplay,” he says.
Emraan Hashmi on the poster for ‘Bard of Blood’
The filmmaker knows all about the little cinematic perks available on OTT platforms, and said that the whole experience has been rewarding. “I’m an avid consumer of Netflix. Last few years, I’ve been watching some great shows, which is sort of inspiring,” he says, adding, “But it’s also a difficult game to play. The bigger question is: ‘How are we going to engage the audience?’ In the sense, web series aren’t movies. If they don’t like the content, they’ll skip it.”
Classy upgrade
We spot Gaurav Verma, executive producer, Red Chillies Entertainment, on the set (Red Chillies, owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan, is producing Bard of Blood ).
Verma describes himself as the man who calls the “creative shots”. On what brought about the tie-up with Netflix, he says, “Netflix is not just a platform, it also contributes and gives suggestions. They are very experienced and we, as a production house, want to learn from them... not in terms of writing alone but planning and execution as well.”
With Sacred Games performing exceptionally well, it has changed the way people perceive digital streaming content in India, he adds. “Look at the scale of that show. It had huge names involved in it,” he says, adding, “It gave hope to Indian audience that we can also come up with a world class show. In that sense, you could say Bard of Blood is catering to both Indian and international audiences.”
Emraan Hashmi and Kirti Kulhari in a still from ‘Bard of Blood’
Just then, a crew member walks up offering a generous amount of freshly-sliced fruits in an effort to beat the heat. Almost immediately, it becomes quite evident that it is almost time for the take because the first assistant director screams “Silence!” with intensity.
All of us are glued to the monitor, where we see Jannat Mari (played by Kirti Kulhari) and Kabir Anand (played by Emraan Hashmi) having a moment while serving bread to peasants. Jannat speaks her lines in a muffled voice and we can hardly hear what she is saying to Kabir. Something is not right, and Dasgupta opts for another take, which the actors get right. Both Emraan and Kirti take a cursory look at the monitor, laugh at their own jokes, and disappear.
We do not know if the scene will make the final cut. Yet, with some reassurance from the crew, we call it a day.
Bard of Blood premières on September 27.
(The writer was in Mandawa on invitation from Netflix.)
