I Oughtta Be In Pictures

Maybe I missed my true calling in life. Perhaps I should have become an International Movie Background Actor. Then again maybe not, but life sometimes conspires to send things your way that make you wonder.

About twelve years ago, on my last around-the-world trip I was in Singapore and acted as an extra in a movie. It was three days, (nights actually, since that was when they were shooting) of a lot of sitting around and a little acting. It was an interesting experience, and I got paid for my time which made it even more worth while. The name of the movie was "Bugis Street" or something like that. I never saw it, so if you happen to track it down, let me know what you think of my acting. I was the one in the sailor suit. Well, one of the ones in a sailor suit.

Yesterday in Chennai, India, I did it again. They needed westerners to fill up a club scene they were shooting. We, several others from the guest houses, were taxied up to Chennai from Mamallapuram and spent about twelve hours doing a lot of sitting around, standing for the cameras, and very little reacting for shots. We also got a free lunch and 600 rupees ($15 US).

India's movie industry pumps out hundreds of movies a year, but I have to say, after sitting around and watching how things work, I wonder about the quality of those movies. Today, they certainly weren't to concerned about continuity in this movie, especially considering many scenes were shot previously before today's group of westerners even showed up. In one scene I was running out one door, and in a different angle shot of the same scene I was told to run out a different door. Extras, props, and actors were moved around willy-nilly without much concern for what had gone previously.

What we shot that day was a fight scene inside some kind of space/computer themed nightclub. I didn't plan it at all, but I am pretty sure I appeared in about 75% of the scenes shot. The camera happened to be looking right where I was standing each time. That doesn't necessarily mean I would be recognizable in the film, or that the takes I was in would even be used (though there were so few actual takes shot, they will almost have to use each one). But keep an eye out for a goofy-looking guy in a gray t-shirt and light green pants. That will be me.

The movie is called "Kurubi" which means The Sparrow. It is an Indian (Tamil) movie about drug runners. It stars a very popular Indian movie star named Vijay.
So on January 15th, run to your nearest cinema (If you
are in India anyway. The rest of you will have to wait.) and see "Kurubi" staring... me!