Being stupid is not a handicap!!!

Before I make the serious themed road-movie (terrorism theme) I got another idea for a short film. It does not has much dialog and is stemmed from the thought -- Being stupid is not a handicap - so don't worry if you are a little crazy!

Imagine a boy, completely in love, is waiting for his girl. This is his first date and he is super-excited to impress her. He wants to be there - perfectly dressed, and on time!

It is 10 minutes to 3 and they are supposed to meet at exactly 3 pm in a shopping mall. The guy had some Mexican food at lunch and his stomach is not helping him! He decides to quickly go to the rest room! He assumes that he will be out in less than 10 minutes -- all fresh and comfortable!

He runs to the mall rest room. As relieved as he imagined, with a broad smile, he is now ready to go out and greet her. She calls him and informs that she is already there (before time)! He promises her to meet in less than 2 minutes.

Then comes the moment of horror! There are no tissues left! What happens next? Will he be able to go out? How does he react? --- Forms the rest of the story!

Of course, I admit, it is a stupid-harmless-silly idea. But just imagine, what if, this happens to someone in real life? This is an extremely rare situation but a situation that cannot be ignored. Ha ha.

Thank you,
Akshay
http://www.apvmovies.com/

Ps: Any weird idea/reaction for the guy in this situation us welcomed! 

Two good news in a span of 3 days!!!!

This seems weird in today's non-forgiving world. ha ha.

But it is true, I have got some good news to share with you all.

First is that the screening of my movie, got some media coverage. (It feels really good to say that..ha ha)

And the second good news is that I got an opportunity to screen my movie at Dolby's facility in San Francisco. I would like to thank my friend Prashant Tyagi for making this possible.

Please visit my web site www.apvmovies.com to check out!!

I have attached few pictures from Dolby screening. If you see the clarity of the film - I was amazed to watch the film in such good quality.

Thank you all for your support!

Akshay Prem Vyas
www.apvmovies.com

News Article: http://www.sjbeez.org/articles/2010/10/19/love-struck-smart-engineer-follows-passion/

There is a terrorist in each one of us!!!

This is the thought that has inspired my next film. Racism against Muslims is not a secret anymore. There have been many films, social gatherings, events, protests, etc in support of Muslims around the globe but still the time that immigration officials take to check them is more. May be in a dinner party, to sound good, you will say that this is not good and every life must be treated with love and respect but will you ever stop in middle of no where to help a wounded Muslim man?

I am reading this award-winning book for screenwriting named 'STORY'. I have now realized that writing for the screen is one of the toughest tasks in the world!! Till now I was casually believing that I have watched so many films so I have some knowledge on writing a good screenplay! I was so horribly wrong!!!

There are so many levels that a good writer thinks before he finalizes a scene. There is a huge difference between seeing a character as you want to see it and making the audience to believe in the character you have written! The latter one is the correct way to do it. If a writer does not become the character he is writing, there is no way he can bring honesty to it and if there is no honesty in his actions then there is absolutely no way an audience will relate or empathize!

A good script writer must first write the inner thoughts of the character and only then he should write the actual dialog! This can take 500 pages of writing and then remove the inner thoughts and extra dialog to compress the script to 100 odd pages (this is for a 2 hour screen time). If there are no re-writings involved then almost 99% - it is a waste screenplay!!

A simple example would be -- Let's say a kid is asking for chocolate to his mother and she refuses him! On a movie screen may be this can be expressed in 2 simple dialogs. But while writing the scene, the writer must know the exact reasons of the kid asking and mom refusing. There has to be a sense of realism and honesty for both son and mom to make it look real on the screen. Their inner thoughts must be known to the writer in complete detail!

This has certainly scared me in writing my next movie. Honestly, now, when I look back at the 10 pages of completed script, I can clearly see, what changes I should make to write it in a more interesting manner!

Anyways few days back, while doing some research on state of Muslims in USA, I came across a website www.cair.com and this certainly changed my perception and made me more inclined to make this road-movie. I just hope that even if a couple of people after reading this feel to do something about any cause, it will be awesome!

Just by saying we cannot make any difference!!!!

www.cair.com

Thank you for reading,
Akshay

How much more price reduction you want???

Logically speaking, when you can see a James Cameron film for $12 then why would you pay $10 to watch my small film??? Makes perfect sense!

Creating VS Selling

Selling is much more tough! Ha Ha.

I would like to thank all who have bought our film! Your $2.99 contribution gives us courage to make a bigger and better film next time!

For those, who have not watched the film, I am uploading a scene from the film. May be this will incline you to watch the film! All I can do is just try!!!! Ha Ha. Try again and again!!! I wonder why all my FREE films on Youtube have so many views! ;-)

The dream of any filmmaker (small or big) is to screen his film on the MOON! Ha Ha. Let me try at our planet first!

The new scene is uploaded at http://www.apvmovies.com/

You can view the film (only for $2.99) at https://dingora.com/love-struck-smart

Thank you for all your support!

Akshay

Why so many trailers and why they hate M. N. Shyamalan?

My friends often ask me that why do I cut so many trailers for my movies? I have a trailer, even for a 7 minute long movie. That is weird, I know but the only reason for me to that is to learn the editing software. There is still so much to learn in film editing and every time I make a trailer I discover a new tool/feature. Last week I thought I would release the FINAL TRAILER and no more after that. But yesterday, I was watching the movie again, and I realized that my friend Shekhar Hemnani has written a beautiful poetry in the film. I can't expect everyone to watch the movie. Probability of watching the trailers is more than watching the entire movie. So just to highlight his poetry, I have made a 30 second clip (in movie we have more :-)). You can view the clip at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kyxJ2B2q_c

Also, I have updated my web site for the premiere -- http://www.apvmovies.com/

Another thing I wanted to share. Read below:

The Sixth Sense : Budget : $40 million. Worldwide gross : $672,806,292

Unbreakable : Budget : $75 million. Worldwide gross : $248,118,121

Signs : Budget : $72 million. Worldwide gross : $408,247,917


The Village : Budget : $60 million. Worldwide gross : $256,697,520

Lady in the water : Budget : $70 million. Worldwide gross : $72,785,169

The Happening : Budget : $48 million. Worldwide gross : $163,403,799

The Last Airbender : Budget : $150 million Worldwide gross :  $252,831,242


I know these are not the best figures but they do not reflect failure either. I still don't understand that why people like to make fun of M Night Shyamalan.

Akshay Prem Vyas
www.apvmovies.com

As promised!!!

As promised in my last post I am uploading a new song trailer of Love Struck Smart.

The song is titled, 'Iss Dil Mein', is composed by Deepak Ganesan & Aurag Simgekar, lyrics are by Shekhar Hemnani & Lakshmi Krishnan, and is sung by Gunjan Malekar & Deepak Ganesan.

This comes at a very key moment in the screenplay. The song is in Hindi, but English sub-titles will be added when it will come in the movie.

I hope you like it. We all have worked really hard for this!

To watch the trailer -- visit www.apvmovies.com

Enjoy!!!

It TAKES time!!!

Recently, my close friends and family from India and all over USA have been asking me, when I will be completing and showing them my new movie titled -- Love Struck Smart??

This post is only for them.

We are completing the finishing touches of the background score. The final cut is ready and its run-time is approximately 35 minutes! Obviously, I cannot judge my own movie but what ever I am seeing in editing is (technically) better than what we have done in the past!

Anurag and Deepak, have been really kind in adjusting their busy schedules to complete the movie. Right kind of music is of utmost importance when you see a movie. If appropriate music is composed then it adds many more layers to a scene.

A huge amount of credit goes to Gagan and Shekhar for helping me out on the narration and sound-mixing part. I wish I could record our dubbing sessions at 1 am. It falls perfectly under -- funny bloopers section on the DVD.

Finally, to the main question, when can we see the film? Before answering this, I need to figure out few more things. But one thing I am sure about is that it won't be too long from now!

I will upload a song trailer in first week of August. Stay tuned for that one. Gunjan has done an amazing job in the song!

Regards,
Akshay Prem Vyas
www.apvmovies.com

Where is your MOTIVATION?

This is a thought from a book called, 'You can win'. I really liked it. So sharing with you in my own words.


This is a short story about a boy and his school football team. In a small town in northern India, this boy grew up. He was one of the most well behaved, bright, intelligent boy in his school. He was liked by one and all. His parents were really proud of him.

There was only one thing that he could not achieve. A playing spot in his school football team. Year after year, he practiced hard. He never missed a practice session. The coach admired his dedication but could not give him a playing spot as other students were better than him. Every evening, the boy used to come with his father for practice. His father used to sit at the far-end of the ground, waiting patiently for his boy's turn in the final list of players.

After three continuous years of dedication and determination, the time has come for the coach to pick playing eleven for the team. Unfortunately, again, he was not selected. The coach knew that the boy had potential but after comparing his potential to other players, he had to take this hard decision to ignore him. The boy was dissapointed. But he never expressed his dissapointment in front of his team mates. He whole-heartedly congratulated other players and quietly walked away with his father.

After four days, they have their first match. All players were expected for practice, the coach was expecting him to come. But the boy was absent. He did not come for the next three days. On the day of the match, he came and pleaded his coach to consider him in the playing team. The coach refused him but the boy insisted. He requested and pleaded his coach and team mates to give him an opportunity. The coach saw tears in his eyes and considering his dedication for past so many years, he gave him 15 minutes of playing time.

The boy was estatic. The match started. He played like a champion. No one was able to beat his intelligent moves. He scored four goals for his team and was on winning side. Everyone including the coach congratulated the boy. After the match his coach approached him and asked,

"What happened to you today? You were so good. We all are proud of you."

To this he replied,

"Today, my father was watching my game."

The coach looked at the far end of the ground, where his father used to see his son practice. No one was there. He asked,

"But your father is not there."

He replied, with tears in his eyes,

"Coach, there is one thing that I never told you. My father was blind and four days ago he passed away. Today was the first time he saw me play, from above."

And he ran away.

Moral: We can never imagine the source of motivation. Mostly it comes from somewhere within.

Regards,
Akshay Prem Vyas
www.apvmovies.com

DRIFTS

This is a poem on school FAREWELL written by my cousin, Rohan Acharya, who just passed 10th grade. He has been writing poems for some time now and I am amazed with the way he put his thoughts across. The title of the poem is DRIFTS.



Drifts...


Planes in paper, here and there

Brisk speeds and the escape from chair

I sit through it, I glide with it

They colour my world of fantasy fit



Cutting through air, the ball’s soaring high

I zoom across to grab it, as if choco-pie

Shoulders rub and scrub, before they touch ground

I resist the descend on muddish brown



I talk not to you but to a pest

Pals refer you’untalkables’, the fairer sex

As if incantations to unwork a devil knot

I distance up wide, escaping schocial wrath



A bit of cheat, a bit of cry

And I am released for an honest lie

That return smile, an airborne kick

Always enough, for my day to click



Time drifts across, and I begin a new end

The ‘friend’ declares its presence, with a twist and bend

I lovingly spill my beans to them

A high end five, our formal emblem



A win together, a loss together, a forever print

Amongst us, not a single wince of money-mint

Our grins through that midnight matinee

Remembering all of times, they are now family



Not long was my path smooth along the way

There’s this ‘someone’ who I think night and day

The passing gaze and my stopping mind

A stomach-butterfly whirl, wind and rewind



The face up-talk, my first brave step

If it holds on long, yes!! a working concept

Pals help me out for signs of this riddle

They call it a crush, though sadly ends in fizzle



It’s now when I realize how time plays

Slowly I understand what actually pays

There’s a ‘big final test’ that’s to be crossed

Therapies for ‘hold-on vomits’, finally engrossed



And then comes a last day

A time to celebrate, a time to depart

A chapter ends silently, a lesson learnt

Life turns on a new leaf, a new drift

Hands numb, I bid all farewell…..



Love

Rohan Acharya


Regards,
Akshay Prem Vyas
www.apvmovies.com

Cinematic Experience! Watch this!

There are films. There are scenes. To feel for any character, you need to understand his journey in the film. The scene I am posting here, is from a Mel Gibson movie, Braveheart. If you have seen the movie then you must have appreciated the power of the scene. If you have not, then also you will feel for Mel Gibson's character. Before you watch, just read on:

1) It's a true story about man named William Wallace and his struggle to free Scotland from British Empire.
2) He is held by the British and will be killed in front of locals (for them, at start, its a fun hour -- reason -- enemy being killed). Other characters seen, are in the movie and you will need to see the entire movie to understand them and their motives.
3) If you see the scene from point of view of Mel Gibson, then you will appreciate it even more.
4) DO NOT STOP the video -- watch it till the end!!! (trust me)
5) If you are an avid watcher, then see how the director (Mel Gibson) builds up the scene. With no music initially and then the big orchestra. That's why they say, that film making is a marriage between all creative departments.

So here you go. Enjoy a great cinematic moment!

THINK About IT!!!!!

Following are some real newspaper headlines. Read them twice.


1) A Muslim who sings Hindu devotional songs for solace

2) Muslim families seek shelter in Ayodhya

3) Build hospital instead of temple.

4) LOC:The dividing line that splits families.

5) Hindus in Gujarat refuse to leave safe Muslim locality.

6) Deforestation: Where will the animals go?

What are you thinking?

Yes.

You are right.

But why can't everyone think like you?

The biggest disease today is not cancer or leprosy but is the feeling of being unwanted. Understand that you are here, in this beautiful world to spread happiness and love. There are millions of souls out there who are unhappy with their existence because they are suffering this disease - the disease of being unwanted.

Pray for them.

A prayer is a sign of good faith.

A smile is a sign of love and happiness.

Jealousy and ego -- Invitation to the evil inside you.

You cant help those millions out there.

You can't stop the wars.

But one thing is there which you can do.

Love people around you. Grow a small plant. This will make a difference.

Be stupid. Be a fool. Have a sense of humor. WHY SO SERIOUS?


Regards,
Akshay Prem Vyas
http://www.apvmovies.com/

First SONG-MOVIE!!!

I know that most of you (who are reading), I have already forwarded the link for song trailer of Love Struck Smart. I am posting the link again on this blog for no good reason. Just want you guys to listen to the song again and again Ha Ha. As mentioned before the song is composed by an extremely talented bunch of people - F1H1. This is one of the song trailers of the movie -- One more should come soon!!

As an independent filmmaker with no real budget for marketing, I heavily depend on word-of-mouth-kind (good or bad) of publicity. It is my humble request to you that if you do like this promo then please forward to as many people as you can -- Upload on you Twitter pages, Facebook profiles, Orkut, etc. That will automatically help in promotion.

Thank you,
Akshay Prem Vyas
www.apvmovies.com

My biggest SHOW-OFF!!!!

The biggest desire for a human is to get noticed. If you work hard for anything then by default you want your effort to be noticed. A film maker would die to screen his movie on the moon and a musician would like to be heard by the entire world and a rich man will do anything to show off his hard-earned-money by showcasing his larger-than-life lifestyle.

If we do not have any special thing then generally we join free networking sites, upload some pictures just to get comments from people.

We show-off our exotic vacations.
We show-off  our expensive cars.
We show-off our not-so-good film making skills (example: www.apvmovies.com)
We show-off everything we own, just to get noticed and then feel nice about that.

If you are reading this it means you are devoting some little time from your life on my blog. This means a lot to me. I will share something personal with you. Few days back, my mom called and informed that my dad is admitted in hospital and is in ICU (there was some blockage in one of his arteries that eventually resulted in a stroke). For a moment, I felt completely helpless. I then flew back home and met my dad and family. Good news -- my dad is doing well now and is recovering pretty fast.

Why I am telling you this? It's because when I saw my dad, unconscious in ICU, only then I realized that how much we can feel. Only then I realized that no matter how much money we make, how much creative we can get or how much famous we can become, the biggest show-off we have is the presence of our parents in our lives and we should be proud to show-off their presence and never let them down.

Update on Love Struck Smart. I will be putting up a lengthy song trailer in next few days. Stay tuned in!!!

Akshay Prem Vyas
www.apvmovies.com

GIRL GIRLS GIRLY!!! WOMEN PLEASE READ THIS ONE!!!!

HELLO!! I am Rita!!!

HEY! I am Jenny

HI! I am Flora!

SUNDAY

"We are best friends. Friends forever. Friends for life. Nothing can separate us. Don't laugh. We mean it."

MONDAY

Flora & Rita go for shopping. Flora buys a new handbag. She is extremely happy. The handbag's color matches with her favorite dress. They meet Jenny. Flora shows her new bag to her. Jenny is too happy for her. She hugs her tight. She is so happy for her friend that tears start pouring!!

TUESDAY

Jenny goes for shopping (in the same mall, same shop, same time). She looks for a new handbag (same section in the store). She is looking, searching (a better, more expensive bag). She does not find a better one in that store. She calls her boyfriend. She sounds very low. He leaves his URGENT TAX work and drives 20 miles to meet her. They drive another 40 miles to get to a better mall. The guy is extremely worried about his TAXES (deadline) but carries spirited smiles on his face to sooth her. Jenny, finally, gets a brand-new-better-than-Flora handbag. Only then she eats something and rests. The guy drops her (doesn't even get a chance to come inside her home), drives back, and seeing in car mirror says, "What the F@#$?"

WEDNESDAY

All 3 girls meet. Jenny shows her new handbag to Flora. Flora too is extremely happy for her. Jenny, just for a minute, goes to the restroom. In this one minute when Jenny is not there, Flora says to Rita, "I knew she will do that. She just wants to prove that her bag is better than mine. I hate this. Anyways, whatever she thinks, I know that my bag is much better than hers; it matches my dress and is less expensive too. So basically, I win!!"

THURSDAY

There are no phone calls. No text messages. No FaceBook status updates. No communication at all!!!

FRIDAY

It's 10 pm. All are gushing and glittering in Ricky's birthday party. Flora enters with her new handbag and the matching dress. She is toooo happy with the compliments. Next, Jenny enters with a more expensive bag and accepts the warm compliments. She is not tired about telling everyone that how far she drove and how much hard work she did to purchase that bag. Her boyfriend has not come to the party. He is probably sitting with a TAX consultant at this hour! Finally, after few minutes, Rita enters the room. All eyes, literally, just stick on her. She is wearing a brand-new-sexy-go-for-the-kill dress, a brand new-handbag-customized with the dress and sandals, completely different hair-styling and make-up --- so basically, she was the most gorgeous looking girl in that room!!! Everyone except Flora & Jenny complimented her. They were feeling the fire-pain-stress-hurt-pressure-discomfort from within. They could not fathom the fact that she outplayed them. Flora says to Jenny, "I don't like her dress. It's looking too obvious that she needs attention." Jenny replies, "Yeah me too! Seems that she is trying too hard."

SATURDAY

There are no phone calls. No text messages. No FaceBook status updates. No communication at all!!!

SUNDAY

All three meet again. A new girl joins the group. They say to the new girl, "We are best friends. Friends forever. Friends for life. Nothing can separate us. Don't laugh. We mean it."

And it goes on and on. There are 365 days in a year. 52 weeks. Calculate the amount of shopping (on an average) women do and why!!!!

Regards,
Akshay Prem Vyas
http://www.apvmovies.com/

If women ruled the world there would be no wars. Just a bunch of jealous countries not talking to each other!!

Ha Ha. The title of this blog is funny. Women will have to accept the truth!!!Honestly, I have lots and lots to say but am still trying to format in my head before I put on this blog. Till then I am posting some behind the scenes pictures of Love Struck Smart.

JUDGING is easy. JUDGING with THINKING is hard!!!!

How many times you have felt superior after comparing yourself with someone inferior to you?

In a small town in Canada, a boy, fascinated with larger-than-life thinking was born. Just as you have done some stupid things in your childhood, he did the same. He played like all kids. Making aero planes, water-boats, snowmen, etc.

Because of his not-so-good financial conditions, his thoughts and ideas were not taken seriously. His friends, family, found it difficult to believe. From being a janitor in a high school to a local mechanic in a shop – he did it all!

As years passed by, he never stopped in believing. You never know where life can take you. It’s just about working-like-a-dog in your field. It can be anything. Just start doing it.

This boy, as it turns out, is the biggest and most successful motion picture director the world has seen. James Cameron - Director of two most successful films ever - Titanic and Avatar.

Just wanted to share this! Just a nice thought. Before we judge anyone, think about James Cameron. You never know, how far life can take you!

Akshay Prem Vyas
http://www.apvmovies.com/

No BOSS no GIRLFRIEND!!!

I don't know why I have this weird habit of having 'unusual' titles. The title actually means,

No PAIN (boss) no GAIN (girlfriend)!!!
Funny story. This weekend it was our first shoot for Love Struck Smart! Everything was planned to the 'T'. I had my main actors, Gagan, Gunjan, Prashant and Kimsi ready (with proper make-up). The equipments were set. My new, portable, 7-inch LCD television was working perfectly, for viewing the action (Yeah, we are adding more technology to our shoots, and I love to show-off. Ha Ha). My assistant director, Raj M. Shah, was geared-up. Nupur, was charged up (for the first time on a movie set). Before I could say ACTION, some mysterious power was directing the entire first day. Things started to go wrong, terribly wrong!!! First blow - Few people, I was expecting them to come, couldn't come. As a result behind the scenes work, started to go haywire!!! This was still manageable. Thanks to Raj!!

Somehow we managed to get our shots till lunch. Second blow - When we resumed, to our SHOCK, the camera didn't start at all & the cassette was stuck. Our entire half-day shoot was ruined. We didn't do ANYTHING to the camera. It just stopped. It just wouldn't turn ON. Disappointment was all around. The entire effort of getting ready, rehearsing the lines, sticking posters, pamphlets to the background walls, the shots, everything was in vain. Being a Saturday, nothing could be done/repaired in the camera. We decided to postpone the shoot for the next weekend. Saying pack-up at 2 in afternoon was heart-breaking. Trust me!!

I and Nupur then decided to go for some shopping (Whenever Nupur is sad/upset, her stress-buster is shopping :-) and it's positively the opposite for me. We then casually entered Best Buy and saw the HUGE Avatar DVD poster at the entrance (it rocks)!! Anyways, so I went to the camcorder section. After the camera incident, it struck me, that if I am making short digital films and call myself a filmmaker, then I should at least own a reasonably good camera. I thought Sony HDR 500 V camera suitable for my-kind-of digital film making (there is no limit to better quality cameras though). In no time, I started to see its reviews online. It was on the expensive side (but who said filmmaking is easy :-)) and after one hour, I came out with a big smile and a camera!!!

BACK ON TRACK!!! I was now, again, ready to shoot on Sunday. Everybody in cast and crew were also excited. Our second day started at 9 am. Same location, same people, same story, same scenes!!! After dedicating 2 hours for make-up and set preparation (Yeah, it's funny that we tried to decorate the already decorated SJSU Student Union area), I called the first SHOT. Exactly 20 seconds later, the security guard came up and said that the entire building is reserved by some group and we will have to leave!!! Again, all efforts before the first shot were in VAIN!!!

It was raining outside. We had to move the entire set up to a different building!!! Actors with full make-up had to walk (2-3 minutes), with loaded bags, camera, tripods, etc etc. It was a joke. The entire scenario looked as if someone is forcing us not to shoot the movie!!! Ha Ha.

But the credit goes to my entire team - Raj, Nupur, Gagan, Gunjan, Kimsi, Prashant, Balli, Sudhir, Priyanka - for their incessant efforts!! Finally, we found a classroom, a college-look that we always wanted, had a camera that gave us a HD video-quality, and we completed 90% of the shoot (only college scenes) in a marathon 11-hour shift.

That's why -- Today's mantra -- No pain no gain!!!

I will post the pictures soon!!!

Regards,
Akshay Prem Vyas
http://www.apvmovies.com/

Even "Making Love" is not a one man job!!!

Try to imagine the most complicated machine you have ever seen. Now, think, was it possible for any ONE person to make it?? Stupid obvious question, I know. Forget about the complicated machine. Bring your thoughts to the most natural phenomenon in humans - Making Love. Now, probably you are thinking about how many people are needed (one minimum, Ha Ha) and so on (maximum - this again depends, Ha Ha). Honestly, there is no point in making such 'not-so-good' jokes -- Just wanted to highlight the term TEAMWORK.

For any task to be performed at an optimal level we need a team that works together with same enthusiasm. Creativity is something that cannot be ordered or dictated. From past few days, I have been working with an extremely talented group of musicians. They call themselves F1H1 (weird name, I know, Ha Ha).

F1H1 will be giving the music for my film Love Struck Smart. They along with Shekhar will give the background score. We have almost finalized the tunes for various situations in the movie. The main theme, 'Roshni De', is already used in the teaser trailer and an instrumental version is uploaded at http://www.apvmovies.com/

In coming days, we should have final versions of the songs. I will be constantly updating you on that!!!! Yesterday, we were at my place, making tunes, discussing situations in the film, discussing lyrics, scenes, etc etc!!! Lots of exciting stufffff!!!!! I am uploading a picture of our session. In the picture, (from L to R)Deepak, Chetan, Anurag & Nikhil. F1H1 has two more members - Gunjan & Aditya.

Regards,
Akshay Prem Vyas
http://www.apvmovies.com/

For THAT girl who said it's easy!!!

Why such a bizarre name as the title? Honestly, for the content I am going to write on this piece, I could not find a more suitable title!

Girls have this peculiar habit of saying for any job they have not done -- "It's so easy!! Trust me shopping is more difficult!!!" The moment you give them this job they might or I say, they will surely shoot back at you saying, "How can you expect a girl to do this?" The same job that was easy now is their biggest challenge!!!

Without taking any names, I would confess that a girl once told me that making a film is a fun job and is not that difficult. The best thing I have ever done in my life till date is --- I didn't even try to convince her that it is not that easy to make even a short film!!! No point in arguing with someone who thinks that "Niagara Falls was invented by USA and Canada claims that it is their baby." By the way, she holds the top post in a group called – ‘A Fool’s Paradise’ (Google it!!!)

Why to discuss this topic? Of making a film? That's because I am in the process of making a short film titled "Love Struck Smart" and I am feeling the fun+pain of making a film. There is no way to imitate a Chef's magic-touch in his specialty dish. The various combinations that he tries make his dish special. Same goes with filmmaking. No matter how hard I try to visualize or execute a story, some combinations are so magical (unknown to the filmmaker) that a normal film becomes a classic.

In coming days, we will be making our short film. I will write about our experiences right from taking our first shot till the final edit of the film. I hope you can then appreciate the little hard work we put in making a film.

For the girl who said it’s easy to make a film – she does not exist!!! But if you are someone who thinks that it is easy to make a film, the post at ‘A Fool’s paradise’ is still open and you are most welcome to join!!!! Ha Ha. Just kidding.

Regards,
Akshay Prem Vyas
http://www.apvmovies.com/

The great man -- GANDHI Vs Humor

Sometimes it is really hard to predict the nature of fun! It could be pulling someone's leg for someone or watching 'Tom & Jerry' for someone else. As James Cameron (the visionary director of Avatar) said in his interview,"You cannot really limit your imagination.", I believe that there is really no limit in devising a way to have fun.

Tonight we went to dinner at our friend's place. After having some delicious 'Paneer Tikkas' and 'Paneer Kathi Rolls' we were running out of steam on humor. Suddenly, I remembered an old joke of putting any Hindi movie name before the phrase, "... Gandhiji ki dhoti mein!!!"

After this, people were on a roll. Everyone in their sub-conscious minds, were thinking that it is wrong to make fun of one of the greatest personalities, but would quietly sneak in and say a movie name that would bring the house down!!! Trust me, if you genuinely have a good sense of humor, you might add more fun to this joke.  Few examples are:

• Phoonk Gandhiji ki dhoti mein
• Jungle Gandhiji ki dhoti mein
• Bhoot Gandhiji ki dhoti mein
• Chota Chetan Gandhiji ki dhoti mein
• Naagin Gandhiji ki dhoti mein
• Sholey Gandhiji ki dhoti mein

And the list went on and on and became more witty, dirty & humorous (I am sure, you would try few movie names too). There were few phrases discovered that I can't even post here! It's really embarrassing!!!

My entire point here is to think that was it right on our part to make such kind of jokes? Do we really need to make such comments? Am I not a good person/Indian? If any where, souls actually exist, and what if Ghandhiji was himself there and was listening to our not so intellectual jokes? What do you think?

I believe that making and laughing at these ridiculously lousy jokes one needs to have a clear understanding of the word FREEDOM. In the world we live today, there are 1000 million Do's and 2000 million Dont's. No matter how hard you try, you cannot make everyone happy. After knowing the kind of fun we made today, some of you might, again, too quickly start judging me and my friends and add another thing in the list of 2000 million Dont's. Fair call. It's your right to judge someone at your understanding.

I came back from their place and was wondering about the next topic on this blog. What to write? What happened today that was not normal? And the only thing that came to my mind was "Gandhiji ki dhoti mein." I quickly GOOGLED some of Gahdhiji's sayings:

I want freedom for the full expression on my personality.
Mahatma Gandhi

Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.
Mahatma Gandhi

After reading these, I realized that what we did was not entirely wrong. May be it was a mistake but as free individuals, we can commit mistakes. We did not hurt anyone. We did not commit a crime. We just used our freedom of speech to create humor. Who knows, even his (Gandhiji's) soul was there and was laughing at the mind's ability to create humor out of nothing but just 8-9 words!!!

Again, if you felt bad and think we should not do this, then I am sorry. There were and will never be any intentions of degrading or defaming one of the greatest personalities!!! We love our Father Of Nation!!

Regards,
Akshay Prem Vyas
www.apvmovies.com

My First Blog!!! You JUDGE!!!

How does it feel to do something for the first time? Do you remember the first time you rode a bicycle? The first time you felt the mystical smell of rain? The first time you saw an intimate scene on TV? Your first crush? Your first stage performance? The first time when you were being judged in front of all? That's the exact emotion I am feeling. It's my first blog. You are either family, a friend, or an anonamous well-wisher who can judge me outright by saying,

"GOSH!!! This is a boring blog. The guy is insane. Doesn't know how to write or hold interest."

If you think this way then let me ask you some questions:

• What was your top speed when you rode the bicycle for the first time?
• Did you understand the scent when you first felt the rain?
• Did you completely understand sex when you saw the intimate scene for the first time?
• Did you say "I love you" to your first crush?
• Did you get an award for your first stage performance?

We all know the answers for these questions. For most of us, the answers will be the same excluding some exceptions!! My entire point here is to say that I am trying to understand the language of blogging. I don't know what will make a good read for you. I will try to entertain, enlighten, and sometimes shock you with some of the postings. I hope you will come back and enjoy every bit!!

Regards,
Akshay Prem Vyas
http://www.apvmovies.com/