An Indian silent comedy troupe were in Barga this morning filming for part of their new season on Indian television “Malegaon ka Chintu” which according to some sources had over 150 million viewers in their first series.
The new series is being filmed for the first time outside India in various places across the globe including Barga.
The troupe were filming throughout Barga Vecchia but the bulk of what viewers in India will finally see was recorded at the top of the Duomo in the bell tower.
In fact, as one or two residents pointed out today, the bells seemed to be ringing at odd times … this was all due to one of the stars of the show – Al Amin, who seemed to have a strong need to ring bells all day.
In part Charlie Chaplin, with a touch of Buster Keaton, add a drop of Mr. Bean and just a whiff of Benny Hill and you get somewhere close to the enigmatic and loosely limbed Al Amin who plays Chintu in the series.
According to their website, Chintu is a lively young man who lives in Malegaon, India and loves only three things in life; his coat, his bicycle and Pinky, played by Ashwini Khairnar, the most beautiful girl in town.
He is full of life with a heart of gold.
He is very emotional and cannot see anyone in trouble.
The show takes the viewers through different situations in Chintu’s life that make for a laughter riot..
Alcuni sketch sono stati girati in Barga Vecchia, in particolare in duomo e , nello stile della sceneggiatura, si è trattato più che altro di improvvisazioni incentrate sul suono delle possenti campane del duomo.
Gli attori del cast e i membri della troupe sono stati poi ricevuti in comune per una saluto formale.
The working process of the troupe was very interesting to see in action as they do not work to a completed script but instead more or less make it up as they go along – an on the spot creative process steered along by the director – Shaikh Nasir .
[dw-post-more level=”1″]
Today’s filming was a good example of how they work.
The torrential rain and almost ground level clouds made filming almost impossible outside in Barga for most of the day and so they looked for locations inside. On of the possible locations was the Duomo but the lack of light inside made filming almost impossible and so it was suggested that they move up into the bell tower.
Upon being told of the importance of the bells and Pascoli’s famous poetry based around their sound they decided that the bells would be the central motif for the shoot.
Chintu – Al Amin, procuring a tiny ceramic bell which he rang in peoples ears until finally he is shown what a real bell sound like – close up.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWo-ZLz295w
Al Amin as Chintu and Ashwini Khairnar as Pinky | Malegaon Ka Chintu is directed by Shaikh Nasir who is well-known for his comedy spoofs. He has won several accolades and his films like ‘Malegaon Ka Superman’; ‘Malegaon Ka Sholay’ has received national & international recognition. Malegaon Ka Chintu is being produced by Deepti Bhatnagar Productions
[/dw-post-more]