Marathi filmmaker Dnyanesh Zoting made his Hindi debut with the thriller Collar Bomb, which arrived on Disney+ Hotstar yesterday. Shooting his first film in a different language was challenging for the young filmmaker but not for the obvious reason.
“It was challenging to shoot in the pandemic [last year],” Zoting said. “Also, because it involves action. Shooting a relationship-based drama in the lockdown is comparatively easy. But to shoot while carrying so much equipment and showing action is challenging.
“Nobody had experienced shooting in a pandemic before," he continued. "I was concerned if we would be able to pull this off. But we enjoyed it. It was a great experience. There was human spirit.”
Collar Bomb is a hostage thriller in which Sheirgill, who plays a senior cop, takes on a mission to rescue students in a boarding school who are held hostage by a suicide bomber. Zoting said Yoodlee Films and Disney+ Hotstar had approached him together with the script. But they were fine with him making changes since he is also a writer. Even Sheirgill offered some inputs.
The film was a new experience for Yoodlee, too. “They have mainly done indie films," Zoting said. "So, for them this is the first major Hindi project."
Asked about the shooting locations, he said, “We shot in Shimla, Chail and a school in Nainital [in neighbouring Uttarakhand]. We needed a high-profile boarding school. We shot mostly on the outskirts and in forests.”
For the role of the local female cop, they needed someone who had the look. “So we signed Asha Negi. She comes from Uttarakhand and has those features and personality,” said Zoting.
But since the preparations were done during the pandemic last year, the casting happened through online videos as meeting physically wasn’t possible.
When the film finally went on the floor, the unit was delighted since everyone was fed up of sitting at home. “We were shooting after a major break," the director said. "We love shooting. The basic human needs are food, clothing and shelter. But film artistes like us have additional needs, which is to shoot. We also had some fun interactions. Sometimes, when we packed up early, we used to play cricket.”
As Zoting has done a lot of theatre, he offers an analogy from that medium when he thinks about the response for the film. “No matter how much experience you have, there is some nervousness always just before going on to the stage,” he said.