Ever Wanted To Become A Movie Star? Bollywood Maybe?
July 21, 2007
Have you ever wanted to be a movie star?
Well it could be much easier then you think. Instead of dreaming Hollywood, try dreaming Bollywood. Bollywood is the movie making craze centered in Bombay and Chennai India that produces more movies each year than even Hollywood. Last summer while in India my dreams finally came true when one early morning walking bleary eyed through the streets a little frantic man ran up to me yelling,“Movie, movie, you want movie?”
This early? I thought, they really have no limits to their selling, but suddenly he said those magical words,
“No, you want to be in a movie?”
I yelled, “lets go,” and within 3 minutes I was flying down the Indian highway helmetlessly on the back of a speeding motorcycle trying to catch up to a minivan with a couple of other actors.
You see, in Bollywood with over 750 movies being produced each year, they are in desperate need for foreign actors who can serve extras in background scenes or serve in the participate in the most prized Bollywood dancing scenes . There are even some expats which simply live on the cheap and then go acting a few times a week to make a little extra cash.
My experience sounded pretty typical. My dreams of glamour were quickly crushed as I was thrown clothes and told to change right in the middle of a busy field. The director was obviously not impressed by my backpacker appearance and ordered me to be dry shaven right in the middle of the field. To top off all of this humiliation, we were forced to sit in full suits in 45 degree Celsius weather for over 10 hours before our scene came up. All this for a whopping $10, all the curry you could eat, and the joy being in the Bollywood blockbuster GURU.
So are you interested? If you happen to be in India, make sure you go to Bombay and just hang around the foreigner catering areas. Within a day or so you’ll probably be approached by a scout and make sure you get at least $10 for you work, but you could negotiate up to $20. If for some reason your having trouble, just make it known to the guest house keeper that you want to be in a movie and they’ll be sure to find you one (as they receive a finding fee).
Just think when your old and shriveled, leaning against your nightly bar, you can always tell your bar mate next to you, “You know…I was a Bollywood movie star…how about you buy me a drink.”
Haha, sign me up! What movie were you filming for? It came out to $10 for 10 hours of work? I don’t care, sign me up anyways! I’m off to Bollywood!
Hi Michael,
“lol” great article. I enjoyed reading it and can imagine what you had to go through even I can´t talk about same experience because I never have been in Bombay till now. But a little similar it was on the set of Aap Ka Suroor with Himmesh Reshammiya at the time when they shot the movie in Germany in April 2007.
I will travel together with two other ladies in January or February 2008 to Bombay. So lets see what happenes to us than.
And yes, this experience is something you will remember when you are old ..grin…
My wife and I were in a movie a few years back called “Page 3″. Just as in your article, we were propositioned on the street and we met a few expats who are extras regularly. It was a pretty hellish experience as we left for teh location shoot at 6pm and we didn’t shoot our scene until 5am - which took all of 10 minutes to rehearse and shoot. Then we had to hang out for a couple other scenes to be shot before we were transported back to the train station and made our way back to Mumbai. We hadn’t slept and were pretty starving and exhausted, not to mention heavily mosquito bitten as our location was a house on the beach. Actually, the experience was pretty awful. A few months later I found a copy of the movie on DVD so it’s always fun to show our scene to friends. Blink and you’ll miss us.
Would I do it again? Ask me next time I’m in Mumbai.
Who knew being a bollywood movie star was so hellish and non-glamorous?
i want to becom an indian movie star. i dont know how and i dont know how to read hindi
HI DEAR SIR,,
I READ YOUR ARTICLE ITS AMMAZING, I ALWAYS DREAMING TO BECOME A MOVE STAR,BUT HAVE NO CONTATCT, I HAVE REALY A MOVIE STAR BODY LIKE A JHON ABRAHIM, BUT DONO FROM WHERE TO START.. I AM LIVING IN LONDON UK..
I read your article its good, I always Dreaming to become a movie star, but I have no way and also have no contact,I have really a movie star face, But I have never any idea from where to start.. I am Living Karachi PAKISTAN.
i want to become a movie star but i am here in nigeria but here is my contact if any one is intrested in me +2347038888304 and my mail onas2large@yahoo.com and also i am a writer, just call me if you are intrested.thanks
i am living in NYC even though my friends don’t like watching indian movies they think its too long and just waste of time. But i like emm its always hard to find me company for going to watch indian i reall enjoy them watching ONLY BECOUSE i love acting and turn lie into so good truth.
if any one ever need me in STATES let me know i wont really ask for money.
i would love to become a movie star some day and film a movie with my best star rachel bilson
im 16 years old guy n i have too become a bollywood star any body help me i8n this thik pls my cell no is 03218987891 pls call me it is request too all pls pls
pls help me god give u every think it is my pray too all pls help me GOD app ko sub da ga bus mare ya kam kardqa bohot mahar bane hoo ge app ke
thank u
am a nigerian an d want to be amovie star, pls contact me on the requirement,and how.
SIGN ME UP..im just CRAZE about bollywood..im indian and living in USA..and i also know hindi..SO Y NOT??
TELL ME HOW I CAN BECOME AN ACTOR…email me pls vicktalwar@gmail.com
thnks muchh
hei, I’m 13 years old i’m from London ON (canada) so plz sign me up for bollywood i have always wanted to become a
movi star!!!!!!!
Thanks.
hei, i’m a guy, 13 years old and i ‘ve always wanted to become a move star soo plzz sign me up for BOLLY W000D!!!
Thanks
May god bless them who help me to become a bollywood super star like salman khanji and shahrukh khanji plz help me me cell number is 9972920580 or 9880546215
Hi, for every body iam 16 yrs old guy from banglore ,May god bless them who help me to become a bollywood super star like salman khanji and shahrukh khanji plz help me me cell number is 9972920580 or 9880546215