Locations in Europe: France
Storyline
Director/Producer: Ayan Mukherjee/ Dharma Productions
Line Producer/Executive Producer/Associate Producer: Jim Damour (Line Producer: France)
Star(s): Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Aditya Roy Kapur and Kalki Koechlin
Songs/Dance: ‘Ilahi’ song has been shot in Paris and Nice
Indian/ International Crew: Jim Damour and Tina Damour for France. Nice crew - Fabien Bauss.
Language: Hindi
Film Location Analysis
By Shikha Jhingan
The film takes us through Paris and Nice. The montage sequence in France is edited to music as we move with Kabir and his travelling crew to different parts of the city. The sequence opens with a close-up of the red sign of the Moderne Hotel in Paris at night. The next image is a close-up of a pair of stilettos. This is followed by quick cuts to shots of sex workers, drug peddlers, and hustlers on the street. The images turn black and white as we see Kabir trying to pry with his camera to capture the seedy side of the city. Kabir and his colleague get chased by a gun-wielding man, and they escape on a scooter. The two of them are now on the Champs-Élysées, excited after their escapade. The instrumental version of the track ‘Badtmeez/Rascal’ gets introduced on the soundtrack. The next morning, we see Kabir watching the Paris skyline from his hotel balcony. The opening instrumental section of the song, ‘Ilahi,'' fades up, creating a sonic bridge for the next sequence. We are introduced to the kinetic energy of the city created through the use of moving shots, or objects and humans moving in the frame. We see Kabir and his teammates getting into vehicles to shoot a travel show in the city of Paris. This scene was shot on Rue Dauphine in the 6th Arrondissement of Paris. Prominent locations for this song are Sacré-Cœur, Musee Louvre, Rue Mouffetard, the Love Lock Bridge, Avenue de l'Opéra, and Place André-Malraux. With quick cuts and jagged framing, we see the entire crew getting into the van and moving through the city, with the Eiffel Tower emerging in the vista. The montage shows us several iconic places, like the Louvre Museum, interspersed with shots of Kabir mounting his camera on a tripod while the female TV anchor gets ready for the shot with makeup. Standing with the Basilica Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre behind her, she describes Paris as the most romantic city. The entire sequence is cut to the song ‘Elahi mera ji aaye’ playing in the background. The lyrics describe a man on the move, going where his heart takes him, not ready to settle down in any place.
In the second part of the song, we see the crew interacting with Parisians, listening to local music, watching and shooting artists on the street, and eating gourmet food after meeting a chef. We return to Kabir walking around with his camera and the tripod mounted on his shoulder. His innovative use of the camera is matched by the edgy movements of acrobatic dancers and street artists. The fast-paced cutting of the song and the use of glass surfaces like wine glasses and diffused light emanating from street lights and night cafes at Rue Mouffetarde give importance to city on the ‘surface.’ By framing Kabir against the light during the sunset or at the cemetery as a lonesome figure, the song also captures Kabir as a loner, in search of something. In the night sequence, we see Kabir hooking up with a Parisian woman, and we see the two of them kissing each other near Cafe de la Paix.
In the final part of the song, we see Kabir on an open vehicle mounted with a video and still camera capturing the city of Nice. Here, the Mediterranean Sea forms a vista as we see Nice from Kabir’s point of view. The song ends with a short sequence on a yacht at sea.
The final sequence takes us back to Paris, where Kabir’s boss, Riyana (Poorna Jagannathan), offers a new travel show to Kabir and asks him to host it. She lists out the names of various cities around the world that he will get to visit if he accepts the offer. In this sequence, we see the two characters on a river cruise on the Seine River, moving along the city. Kabir accepts the offer and excitedly gets back to his room. In the last shot of this Paris sequence, we get to see the Eiffel Tower lit at night with Kabir moving around in his room.
Additional Information & Links
The film shows Kabir’s character as a Fox Traveller Videographer. Dharma Productions entered into a brand tie up with Fox Traveller and the latter organised a social media campaign for the film.
Tourism
