Clare man Ciaran O’Connell has left Ireland behind to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime trip backpacking around the world. Internet access permitting, Ciaran will be corresponding with us as he enjoys his travels. This week he begins a career in acting and befriends a beautiful South African lady.
Dear Joe
It’s week three already and what an interesting and very chilled week I’ve had. This week I headed south for Mumbai and on to Goa.
Following a marathon journey, I did to get to Mumbai via Mount Abu, the Indian honeymoon location (imagine a lake at the top of one of the Ring of Kerry hills but a lot hotter and not as clean, but the locals love it). I just picked the closest hotel to crash and have a shower.
The Rough Guide choice was a place just on the edge of Colaba, the main tourist part of the city. When I got there the cheapest room was 800 rupees (€12). Now, I know it doesn’t sound much but it’s double the price of what I had paid anywhere else, but being so wrecked I went with it. The room was no bigger than the size of the bed and it was located in ship’s cabin-style porters’ quarters, consisting of the bare bed locker and an air conditioning unit shared with the next room, but it did have a TV!  To top it off, the shower was a bucket and jug in a shared washroom.
Anyway, moving on from the luxurious hotel I took a quick tour of the city – taking in the Victoria Station, Indian gate, Marine rive and getting to know the city. Mumbai is a massive city that is split up into many different sections, from the rich areas to business quarters, from the hotels to the shanty town and slums, which to the locals are not the worst parts of town, with micro businesses being built up in waste recycling. There have been studies done on recycling here that show the annual turnover to be $1.4billon. You’ll also see little satellite dishes and massive TVs in these little shacks.
It’s the biggest and most westernised city I’ve come across in India so far. Couples dress a lot more modern and are a lot more open here. You see a lot more personal displays of affection, which unusual to see after two weeks of strict rules and guidelines concerning physical contact in public.
As I walked down the main street of Corlabra I was randomly stopped by a man called Astan. He told me he was an acting extras agent and they were looking for white extras to be in a Bollywood movie described as “a love story set in Scotlandâ€.
I had heard from other travellers and friends that it was mighty craic, so I jumped at the chance. It also meant getting paid 500 rupees and being fed for the day, so what could go wrong!
At 8am the next morning I was picked up outside the main McDonalds and as we did a tour from hostel to hostel we picked up a great variety of international people, from South Americans to English to Spanish to Australina – male and female and ranging from 20 year olds to 50 year olds.
We had to travel to the other side of the city so we also got to see all parts of the city. On arrival at the set we were greeted by a massive fake courthouse and street. We were ushered into a small room at the back of the building where we were assessed by a group of runners all wearing earphones and mics. Every now and again they would shout some Hindi in to the mic, slightly frightening everyone.
Big surprise
Still not knowing what we’d be doing, we were split up in to two groups. As part of the first group I was brought out in line in front of the accent director – a large lady who sat slumped on a chair in the middle of the eating area resting her chin on her hand as we queued in single file. I felt like a calf being judged by a farmer at a mart or from that scene from Gladiator where it was decided if the slave fighters were to live or not.
From that, we were taken to a costume fitting area where we found out we were going to be the bar/waiting staff (in particular I was going to be the only bar man, ironic when I was the only Irish man there). They fitted us with a white shirt, black pants and shoes, a red tie and a red silk belt. The second group ended up being the customers in the bar.
Not very Scottish I thought, but following a brief spell in make-up (ya, I know!) I was in for a bigger surprise when we entered the set which was more like a Spanish Salsa bar, but which was already filled with the floating-long-dress-wearing professional female dancing extras – shipped in on contracts from England and all across Europe.
They work long hours most days and are not allowed to drink or party, talk to Indian men and most importantly talk to western men. They also have Indian pot boys who tend to their every need and are there to observe they don’t break any of these requirements. But it’s amazing what a cheeky smile and a bit of Irish charm can do.
Anyway, back to the so-called acting. I was situated behind the full bar (water in empty whiskey bottles) with a German barmaid with the dance floor in front of us. A tabled area was situated behind that, with the camera to our right and an entrance area to our left. We were instructed to look busy and keeping moving behind the bar, occasionally chatting to the two customers in front of us or pretending to take orders from our waiters who moved back and over through the dance floor.
The main set up was the two main characters or so-called main stars (sure none of us had a clue who they were but knew instantly when they came on set as the very vain leading male with a dodgy moustache that you wouldn’t even see in Movember. He started shouting orders and kept looking in the mirror every five minutes and the stunning lead lady heavily made-up but who the ladies said had a fat ass because she wore baggie pants (a tiny bit of jealously, me thinks). We’re in a so call night club when a drunken Scottish guy (played by an Aussie) kept eying the lady up and bumping against her on the dance floor till the lead man steps in to protect her.
Bigger bond
Ten hours later, and well passed the time we were told we would be finished, we still were only three-quarters the way through. Now, in fairness we had been fed twice. But with the boredom of our group kicking in, the initial excitement wearing off and getting tired from trying to entertain ourselves all day long, which had helped to bond the team together and (fuelled by the fake alcohol I was dishing out to anyone who called to the bar between takes) we decided to walk out in protest. Just for the craic of it to see what would happen. Some of the extras took it a bit more serious than we had intended and we knew nothing would really come of it but it was worth a try and at least it would entertain us.
So, after a little group whispering and led by an Irish man and a Spanish man we all walked off set and sat where we ate earlier. Our demands for pizza and a beer for the 20 of us weren’t complied with. We sent some heads spinning and a lot of runners frantically on their walky-talkies. In the end we were promised more money and that the rest of the shoot would only take 20 minutes. We returned with a smile and a little more entertained but more importantly a bigger bond of the group was formed and a happier and different ending to our acting careers. But totally worth the experience
The movie’s name is Moosam and is meant to be a block buster in April 2011. So if you want to waste two hours and possibly see my left hand check it out.
There were so many good and interesting people I met that day that I can’t mention them all but one lady who really inspired me was Olga. A tall, very attractive mid-twenties lawyer from South Africa who was touring on her own around India for 180 days. Not only was she on her own but she was doing it all on a motorbike she had bought in Delhi at the start of the trip. But it gets better. She had never even ridden a bike before (reminding me of the long way round). She spent days without even seeing people and using her tent as accommodation. After the initial shock of it, she loved it.
So JOE, once you hear a story like this it shows if any one puts their mind to something and tries something different, instead of sitting at home, doing nothing or wishing they were doing something different or wishing they could change jobs or just leave and if they focused a little and just did some work, the world is their oyster. If this young lady can do this on her own then let her inspire you. What’s stopping anyone else from taking that first step to trying something different? Just do it.
The next day the gruelling 18-hour (which was meant to be 12) bus trip to Goa, where I once again met up with Jonnie in Arambol, a small hippy fishing village in the north east of Goa, where we just chilled out for two days on the beach and set about find the hottest curry in the challenge you had set me. We found that with the help of a local taxi driver in the beach resort of Palalem in the south of the province.
Well I think that’s about all this time but in my next letter I hope to fill you in on the goings-on in a three-day alcohol ban in Goa and I say goodbye to Jonnie and go it alone, off the beaten track to visit some of India’s biggest tourist spots. I’ll keep you posted.
See you after Kid.
Ciaran
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