Raja] should be present at the location when called.’
‘No, sir, you have to be specific about time and place. Suppose you have a location in Timbuctoo...’
Madan looked desperate.‘If it was to be at Timbuctoo, why would I be here, sir?’
‘I don’t know, I want you to be specific. I don’t mean Timbuctoo literally, of course ...’
‘I have not yet fixed the location.’
‘Why don’t you do that first? From what I see you are ready only with the tiger ... Not adequate for the starting.’
‘I’ve Jaggu, the hero of the story; I’ve booked him and he is staying with me - won’t let him out of sight till the picture is completed. I’ll keep him for possible retakes too.’
‘Excellent, your actors are ready, but not your stage.’
‘Each day’s delay is costing -’
‘Don’t bother to tell me the figures or your calculations. I’ve enough calculations of my own, God knows ...’He glanced at his watch.‘Now I have to be off, my friend. Come again with practical ideas ...’
‘When? When?’Madan asked anxiously. There could be no specific answer to it; he was not even sure these days about the tiger - a fundamental doubt. Every time he suggested that he should be allowed to watch the tiger, he was put off with some objection or other, until Madan began to wonder if he was to get the real tiger or a stuffed one. In his feverish thinking, anything seemed possible. But it was too late to back out of the project. He had taken custody of the strong man Jaggu, who sat placidly in the front veranda of The Travellers’ Bungalow, swatting flies, which somehow were attracted to him in swarms. The technical crew awaiting his orders at Madras kept demanding action. He flourished letters and telegrams from them in the hope of impressing Captain. But Captain viewed them indifferently, only remarking,‘After all, technicians are there for our use, not the other way round. Don’t let the tail wag the dog. Be firm. They must realize who is the boss; they must not try to rule us. You are a good fellow, full of enterprise - don’t be weak in management. You must work on bases which are firm. You know, Dadhaji used to say ...’He would quote some significant aphorism concerning business management.
Madan felt desperate; when he succeeded in securing an audience with the great man, it was difficult to keep him to the point. He could not make out what Captain was to gain by delaying like this. When he tried to be strict, Captain would just say,‘Madan, my friend, know this, I won’t be coerced whatever may happen. You bring the answers to my queries, and then you’ll have my green signal. It must go on at its own pace. Why should we hurry? I won’t be coerced or hustled; and I am quite prepared to drop the whole proposal, if you cannot satisfy my conditions. First fix your location, and then come to me.’
‘Can’t you help me?’
‘No,’said Captain with an air of finality.‘It should be your business and your technicians’,not mine.’
This placed a big strain on the film producer. The greater the urgency he showed, the more Captain delayed, until he felt challenged and got into a fever of activity which did not cease night or day. When he reappeared before Captain a few days later, he was able to be specific about three locations. The first one was rejected because it was close to the jungle, and Captain explained, ‘Psychologically unsound, as the tiger may become homesick and behave queerly, if not desert us.’He rejected the second location, an open ground across river Sarayu, beyond Nallappa Grove, for the reason that it was too close to the town and might attract crowds. The third location, in the southern direction, a wooded area, where the highway passed within a couple of furlongs, was finally approved, and the contract was signed. Madan felt as triumphant as if he had produced a picture and received the Oscar.
Madan worked night and day to transform the land he had taken on lease
‘No, sir, you have to be specific about time and place. Suppose you have a location in Timbuctoo...’
Madan looked desperate.‘If it was to be at Timbuctoo, why would I be here, sir?’
‘I don’t know, I want you to be specific. I don’t mean Timbuctoo literally, of course ...’
‘I have not yet fixed the location.’
‘Why don’t you do that first? From what I see you are ready only with the tiger ... Not adequate for the starting.’
‘I’ve Jaggu, the hero of the story; I’ve booked him and he is staying with me - won’t let him out of sight till the picture is completed. I’ll keep him for possible retakes too.’
‘Excellent, your actors are ready, but not your stage.’
‘Each day’s delay is costing -’
‘Don’t bother to tell me the figures or your calculations. I’ve enough calculations of my own, God knows ...’He glanced at his watch.‘Now I have to be off, my friend. Come again with practical ideas ...’
‘When? When?’Madan asked anxiously. There could be no specific answer to it; he was not even sure these days about the tiger - a fundamental doubt. Every time he suggested that he should be allowed to watch the tiger, he was put off with some objection or other, until Madan began to wonder if he was to get the real tiger or a stuffed one. In his feverish thinking, anything seemed possible. But it was too late to back out of the project. He had taken custody of the strong man Jaggu, who sat placidly in the front veranda of The Travellers’ Bungalow, swatting flies, which somehow were attracted to him in swarms. The technical crew awaiting his orders at Madras kept demanding action. He flourished letters and telegrams from them in the hope of impressing Captain. But Captain viewed them indifferently, only remarking,‘After all, technicians are there for our use, not the other way round. Don’t let the tail wag the dog. Be firm. They must realize who is the boss; they must not try to rule us. You are a good fellow, full of enterprise - don’t be weak in management. You must work on bases which are firm. You know, Dadhaji used to say ...’He would quote some significant aphorism concerning business management.
Madan felt desperate; when he succeeded in securing an audience with the great man, it was difficult to keep him to the point. He could not make out what Captain was to gain by delaying like this. When he tried to be strict, Captain would just say,‘Madan, my friend, know this, I won’t be coerced whatever may happen. You bring the answers to my queries, and then you’ll have my green signal. It must go on at its own pace. Why should we hurry? I won’t be coerced or hustled; and I am quite prepared to drop the whole proposal, if you cannot satisfy my conditions. First fix your location, and then come to me.’
‘Can’t you help me?’
‘No,’said Captain with an air of finality.‘It should be your business and your technicians’,not mine.’
This placed a big strain on the film producer. The greater the urgency he showed, the more Captain delayed, until he felt challenged and got into a fever of activity which did not cease night or day. When he reappeared before Captain a few days later, he was able to be specific about three locations. The first one was rejected because it was close to the jungle, and Captain explained, ‘Psychologically unsound, as the tiger may become homesick and behave queerly, if not desert us.’He rejected the second location, an open ground across river Sarayu, beyond Nallappa Grove, for the reason that it was too close to the town and might attract crowds. The third location, in the southern direction, a wooded area, where the highway passed within a couple of furlongs, was finally approved, and the contract was signed. Madan felt as triumphant as if he had produced a picture and received the Oscar.
Madan worked night and day to transform the land he had taken on lease
Similar Books
