Celebrity artistes tell us about the extreme steps they’ve taken in the interest of their art
Celebrity artistes tell us about the extreme steps they've taken in the interest of their art
Mumbai: It isn’t new to read reports about artistes undergoing a physical transformation for their role. Renée Zellweger (for Bridget Jones’s Diary), and Charlize Theron (for Monster) are among those who went through a drastic makeover as part of their job profile.
In 2012, rocker Pete Doherty presented paintings he made using his blood, among other media. However it isn’t always a happy ending. Recent reports suggest that Jake Gyllenhaal’s preparation for Southpaw may have cost him his relationship with model Alyssa Miller.
Antoine Fuqua, the director for the movie, revealed in an interview that the actor spent so much time working in the gym for the role that his relationship bore the brunt of it. Sob story apart, this creative experimentation isn’t restricted to just Hollywood celebs who have taken drastic steps to bring out their best work. We speak to celebrity artistes about an extreme measure they undertook to pursue their craft.
‘I visited an illegal Alcohol outlet for research’: Ashwin Sanghi, Author
I think the nature of my profession is such that I need to visit “unsa-voury” places at times. While I was working on my book, Private India, I had to visit a morgue to describe a scene. Now I could narrate the scene as per what I have imagined a morgue to be. But I decided to visit the morgue to help describe the scene realistically. Also, for my book Chankaya Chant, I had to describe a bootlegging operation. Hence, I visited a place where alcohol is distributed illegally.
‘I locked myself at home for two weeks’: Manav Kaul, Theatre director and actor
For the upcoming movie, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai, I play the role of a livid, beer-guzzling cynic. Since this character is unlike me and I wanted to get the nuances of the character, I locked myself in for two weeks at home and drank beer for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I didn’t meet my friends during that time-frame and left the house only if I was short of cigarettes.
Another instance was way back in 2005, when I was in Delhi. I wanted to work with enlightenment as a central idea, and was looking for a plot. I had about '5,000 to '6,000 in hand at that time and decided to go to McLeod Ganj. I somehow managed to stay there for a month, frugally and spoke to a lot of monks and locals. It is through these conversations that the idea for Ilhaam (enlightenment) struck me.
‘I stayed away from the internet and other distractions’: Ajay Bahl, Director of B.A Pass
I am currently living without a phone on the outskirts of Mumbai and completing the script of my next film, about a cub reporter. I have been in Delhi for the last three weeks and will stay in Mumbai for another two. Since I want to make sure I’m disconnected while working, I use my mother’s phone since no one from the industry has this number. I work on the laptop with no Internet to make sure I’m not distracted while working, and access mails on the phone only periodically. I follow this ritual every time I write a script. The city keeps changing though.
‘An impromptu trip to New york helped me concentrate on my dance’: Aditi Bhagwat, Dancer and actor
In 2010, I planned an impromptu visit to New York for two-and-a-half months. It was a phase where I was doing a lot of dance shows and a bit of Marathi cinema. My parents were worried that it may affect my career here, but I decided to take off anyway. And I do not regret the decision.
Since I have stayed in Mumbai with my family all my life, living in New York gave me the independence that I needed, the creative inspiration that I was looking for and of course, the responsibility that comes with the frills. I worked with local musicians for dance shows, I realised what a collective effort really means.
Plus, there was no concept of green rooms when we were collaborating. Today that has made me more organised, and I no more need a green room to myself during my shows. A lot of times you are stuck in your daily routine, and probably cannot concentrate on your craft as much. As an artiste, this sabbatical helped me concentrate on dance without worrying about anything else in the world.
( Source : dc )
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