(Clockwise from top) Aparna Sen at the viewfinder; Rahul Bose and Shefali Shah on the sets; Dhritiman Chatterjee and Shabana Azmi rehearse a shot. Pictures by Reshmi Sengupta

Warmth of celluloid in winter chill

A bubbly Konkona Sen Sharma pottering around looking for ?work?, Rahul Bose playing a prank a minute with one and all, Shabana Azmi who reveals a marvellously mellifluous voice when asked to sing during an evening adda, Aparna Sen never tiring of running around the sets...

A three-day stay at Hotel Gangtey Palace in the picturesque valley of Paro in Bhutan found the stars in their elements.

Reshmi Sengupta reports from the sets of Aparna Sen?s 15, Park Avenue, the only foreign film to be shot in Bhutan after Bernardo Bertolucci?s Little Buddha.

Day One, February 5, noon

Location: The courtyard of Gangtey Palace

Scene: Rahul Bose, who is holidaying in Bhutan with family, spots his schizophrenic ex-girlfriend Meethi (Konkona) and follows her. Back in the hotel, wife Shefali Shah and the kids wait for him. On his return, Rahul tells Shefali about Meethi.

Action: ?Ready? Let?s do a rehearsal then,? says Aparna, eyes firmly on the monitor. In the strong wind, one can scarcely catch what the actors are mumbling, but Aparna is satisfied.

?Okay. Should we go now? Start sound... Action!? The first take? then a few more takes. ?Should I look a little more lost, or is this fine?? Rahul inquires. Sen mirrors the desired look, asks for another rehearsal and then for a take. ?Break for lunch,? the director shouts.

?I get deeply involved with the intricacies of my character. And Rinadi?s men are all very sensitive,? says Rahul over lunch.

Behind the scenes: The two half-sisters in 15, Park Avenue, Shabana and Konkona, have just returned after a drive around Paro. Lunch over, the production team gets busy putting up props in a first floor room of the hotel for an ?intimate scene? involving Rahul and Shefali.

Numbed by the mountainous February chill, Shabana, Konkona and Rahul huddle around the heater in the reception room. ?Let?s play dumb charade! With English and Hindi movies,? suggests Konkona. ?And we will be in opposite teams,? she hastens to tell Shabana.

Aparna and Shefali join the crowd that is already yelling, shrieking and rolling on each other with excitement over a war of words and expressions. Twenty minutes later, a production hand says: ?Didi, we are ready.? Aparna jumps to her feet, Rahul and Shefali follow her out.

Day Two, February 6, morning

Location: The courtyard, Gangtey Palace

Scene: Leftover from the day before. Rahul and Shefali sit face to face at the table.

Action: The camera focuses on Shefali, shivering in the chill, for a close shot. ?Someone please place the heater below the table. She?s freezing,? screams the director. Shefali goes for a take. Aparna screens the shot on the monitor and asks Shefali to try out another expression. ?That?s brilliant, Hemant!? the director yells at her cinematographer Hemant Chaturvedi. ?And you have given a beautiful shot, Shefali,? she turns to the actress.

Behind the scenes: In the bustle, production designer Bibi Mukherjee coordinates the costumes for Dhritiman Chatterjee and Shabana for the next day?s shoot. ?Rina, I just want to drag you out of this for a moment... Do you think this is okay?? Dhritiman, dressed in his costume, wants to know from old friend Aparna, who?s discussing a scene with an assistant director.

Day Two, February 6, afternoon

Location: The dining room, Gangtey Palace

Scene: Rahul, dressed in black, and Shefali, draped in a flaming orange sari, are dining out with the kids.

Action: Their table, laid out with a spread of spaghetti, overlooks the glass window that provides a panoramic view of the snow-capped peaks, coniferous trees and the quaint Bhutan houses. The camera has been positioned on a trolley; the actors are ready. But the magic hour is awaited. Every five minutes, Hemant runs out to check the light. ?Okay, let?s go,? he soon signals.

Behind the scenes: Three-and-half-year-old Gregan, who plays the couple?s youngest kid, is delightfully tucking into the spaghetti. But his lines say he wants peanut butter sandwich. ?Look at mummy (Shefali), Greg. And eat the spaghetti five minutes later,? Rahul cajoles the toddler, who stops munching after a lot of pleading.

Day Three, February 7, morning

Location: The way to the zong (a place of worship)

Scene: Shabana, a professor who has come to the hills with her schizophrenic half-sister, runs into Meethi?s psychiatrist Dhritiman. The two chat and walk towards the zong; there?s a whiff of a relationship in the frosty air.

Action: After explaining the shot, Aparna plonks herself in front of the monitor. ?Wait, wait, wait! Sunder (Dhritiman), I want you to say this line rather as an afterthought,? she interrupts and adds: ?Hemant, could you pan the camera a little to your right, please. There?s too much of the wall there.?

The shoot is through around noon and despite the strong wind, it hasn?t snowed till now. Aparna has had her fingers crossed all through.

Behind the scenes: Shabana doesn?t like her red glasses; she prefers her orange-rimmed ones instead. ?Aparna tells me I am not supposed to be hip because I am a professor, but I know many of them in JNU who are very stylish,? she chuckles.

?You have such a nice voice, Shabana. Why don?t you sing a few lines?? someone puts a request. The actress breaks into a foot-tapping Govinda number, leaving everyone in splits. Back at the hotel, Rahul, Shefali and Konkona, off from shooting, go off for some sight-seeing.

?There were so many obstacles. But this schedule has turned out very well? I am so happy today,? gushes Aparna.

But there?s no time to sit and muse. A more elaborate party scene waits to be canned in the second schedule. In the afternoon, the team heads for Thimphu, where Waheeda Rehman arrives on February 9.