I have been fascinated by films since my childhood. I used to wonder about how the stars dealt with the problem of appearance and reality; what they were like in real life.

An aunt who lived in Juhu and visited us every summer in Delhi used to thrill us with accounts of her close encounters with film stars. We were both excited and jealous as she described, rather nonchalantly, the glamorous lifestyle of her neighbours.

To us, the very name of Mumbai would conjure up images of stars and tinsel. But my first trip to the city, to attend my cousin's marriage, was a major disappointment. Our aunt was too busy with the ceremonies to keep her promise to show us the film stars from close quarters. I only saw Rishi Kapoor whizzing past on Marine Drive, and had to be content with checking out a few lesser-known artistes who stayed just a few blocks from my aunt's flat.

But as fate would have it, my postgraduate education brought me to an institute adjoining Film City. Finally, I got to see all that I had missed on my first trip to Mumbai. I saw countless artistes and actually got to meet some of the biggest names in the profession, from Aishwariya Rai to Aamir Khan, something that I could never have dreamt of in my childhood. My walks to Film City every evening also acquainted me with the nitty-gritty of film-making. These days, I can tell precisely which film is being shot at a site, and figure out whether any major artistes are in the offing.

Some of the sets at Film City are quite elaborate and expensive, and producers invest several months of work in them before shooting even commences. Some sets, on the other hand, require minimal preparations and are slapped together just a few hours before the cameras roll. To me, these represent the greater challenge, because it's especially difficult to predict what will be shot. A desolate site abruptly starts humming with activity and in a couple of hours, everything neatly falls into place generator van, make-up van, kitchen van, cameraman, make-up man, and several other technicians. And then, amidst several calls for takes and retakes, it's all over. The passel of cars and bikes disappears as abruptly as it had appeared.

On the sets, I have seen everything from artificial rain at the height of summer to artificial wind generated by a massive fan, from the blowing up of an engineless car chassis to the setting ablaze of an imposing building, from shots being taken from a flying helicopter to those taken from a moving crane. Many a time, the imposing structures or facades with intricately engraved woodwork that we see on the screen are entirely artificial it's just plaster of Paris. And incidentally, nowhere else have I see horses, camels, elephants, and pigeons in such great numbers as in Film City.

Obviously, a lot of hard work goes into the making of every film. The industry is just like any other, providing income and employment to hundreds of thousands of workers, most of whom remain behind the scenes all their lives. Only a handful of those who are seen on the screen become known names. And even for them, it is no cakewalk. They too have to put in some tremendously hard work. I often wonder how frustrating it must be to perform the same scene over and over again till the desired combination of effects comes out.

Watching films being made from such close quarters has been a fairly educational experience. The glamour that I once associated with the industry has dwindled. The sight of film stars is a thrill that has palled. On the other hand, I have begun to appreciate the hard work that they put in. In fact, all young children should get to see how cinema is made. Young minds, inevitably impressed by the illusions on the screen, need to see the reality behind them. It would stop them confusing illusion with reality, and would teach them to appreciate a wonderful art form.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.