Synopsis:

Based on Gyan Prakash’s book, Mumbai Fables, Bombay Velvet is the story of Johnny Balraj  – an ordinary man, who goes against all odds to forge his own destiny against the backdrop of the glittering sky of ‘Bombay,’ thriving, jazz and violence. Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar in leading roles, Bombay Velvet was directed by Anurag Kashyap and produced by Phantom Films. Vivek served as their Head of Production. 

Vivek’s experience:

Set in the Bombay of the 1940s and 50s, this film was a hard one to shoot. As co-producer, I knew going in  there was no way we could shoot the entire film in Mumbai and locations in India were not fitting our bill. After some extensive research, I chanced upon the fact that there was a place called Fort in Colombo, Sri Lanka built by legendary Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. It could pass off as Fort, Mumbai. Deeper research revealed that a Sri Lankan law does not permit the facades of buildings to be changed. Only the interiors can be modernised, which meant a lot of the buildings built in the pre Art Deco style of the 40s and 50s were present. This meant we could actually shoot at real locations. We also found out that Sri Lanka, to date, has more number of working vintage cars preserved in top condition, than in all of India. 

Sri Lanka then became the perfect shooting destination. 

We constructed an entire, real life set in the south of the country, to mimic the nighclub and surrounding areas of South Mumbai, the land for which was generously provided for by the Sri Lankan government. We built the entire tram and tram way to stay true to the era. This build took 9 months and the crew of the movie came from across the world – Germany, Turkey, UK and the US. 

Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma were the hot young stars of Bollywood at that time and they were incredibly well prepared and cooperative when it came to reproducing the look and feel of the era through all the elaborate costumes and makeup. 

At A Richer Lens, we’re experts at taking a film from script to screen. From budgeting, scheduling and production services including crewing up in any part of the world to post production supervision and final delivery, we do it all! Get in touch with vivek@aricherlens.com to know more!