From Backpackers to Bollywood Actors: A Day in Mumbai, India
It’s not uncommon for Bollywood scouts to comb the trendy streets of Colaba in Mumbai, searching for unsuspecting Westerners to be an extra in a movie or music video. Our guidebook had a short clip about the industry and gave a few pointers on how to visit a Bollywood set in Mumbai.
We were skeptically intrigued. It sounded like one of those, “I remember this one time, in Mumbai” type of stories we simply could not pass on. With a little bit of luck, we could even pick up a few bucks along the way!
If you’re unfamiliar, Bollywood is India’s version of Hollywood. Though, with over 1.1 billion in population, Bollywood’s reach is much greater than its American counterpart.
While on an overnight sleeper train from Udaipur to Mumbai, we decided that we would not seek out Bollywood fame. Instead, we would leave it up to fate and let it decide how our 4 days in Mumbai would play out.
On our first evening , we returned to our guesthouse after dinner and heard a doorbell ring.
“Who could that be?”
We looked at each other confused and somewhat paranoid. The bell rang again.
It was clearly intended for our room. Nicole curiously and cautiously opened the door.
Enter Polo into our story. Polo is the red-headed, smooth talking Bollywood recruiter that was clearly called by our guesthouse manager in return for a small commission. He was given the tip that two Caucasian Canadian tourists had arrived and intended to stay in Mumbai for a few days (info that was openly shared by our hotel manager).
Whatever the explanation, fate had led Polo to us and we agreed that “if approached, we’ll do it”.
We hadn’t even been in Mumbai 3 hours and we were already going to Bollywood!
Polo greeted us early the next morning but mysteriously disappeared shortly afterwards. We sat in the morning sun outside our guesthouse for about 30 minutes before Polo came speeding around the corner on his ‘vintage’ scooter. He was frantically looking for one more extra to fill his quota of three.
He found Sophie, a blonde Parisian tourist about our age, in the arrivals section of the long-haul bus terminal. She had just completed a 13-hour overnight bus from Goa. She hadn’t slept or eaten but was fearlessly up for the task and joined our team.
“How often does an opportunity like this happen in one’s lifetime?” Sophie replied in her strong French accent. We agreed.
With his quota filled, Polo passed us off to his assistant who whisked us away in an old black taxi. Polo’s assistant (we never did get his name) didn’t speak English, making the conversation quite entertaining and unproductive.
The taxi trip was short. We were dropped in front of a large central train station in the heart of the city. Clearly this was not our final destination. We battled against the forceful traffic of thousands of morning commuters and boarded a local train.
We were heading north, leaving the hustle of downtown Mumbai behind us.
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Like traveling by tuk tuk and auto-rickshaw, this train journey was a unique cultural experience all on its own. The beat-up trains were like a metal cage, every inch stuffed with agitated commuters. It was 99% men, all curiously staring at the three funny looking foreigners (two of which are attractive blonde women).
Organized mayhem is the best way to describe the experience. Some serious pushing and punching occurred to get on and off the train at each station. We witnessed harmless old men being pushed, punched and knocked to the ground because they weren’t moving fast enough. It truly is ‘survival of the fittest’ when you ride the Bombay rail!
When we arrived, we were told that we would be in an “office scene” and that “our look was right for the part”. We didn’t know what else to expect, but we got the feeling that this production was not going to be a blockbuster.
We were immediately shoved into a tiny room with a hand written sign on the door that read, ‘Make-up’. The only thing ‘make-up’ about the room was that it had a mirror and a small make up bag on the table. This was the only air-conditioned room, so it became home base for the day. Let’s not forget that it’s India and its summer (translation: it was incredibly hot, humid and sticky).
So we sat and we waited… and waited some more.
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Actors would come in and out of the room at leisure. At first it was kind of awkward with everyone sizing each other up. But once the ice was broken it was all good, with plenty of interesting conversations. We met a few aspiring Bollywood actors that have minor roles on cheesy Indian soap operas.
It all seemed extremely disorganized and hectic, people yelling and running, sleeping and waiting.
But we were informed that everything was normal, “That’s just how Bollywood operates.”
Finally, after two hours, Cameron was called to ‘dress’. In his first scene, he was to be a ‘smart professional’ looking to buy a sports car. When he entered the set it was evident that this was not an ‘office scene’ at all. It was a green screen set that would allow the producers to superimpose a digital background.
The producers were very tight-lipped about what the project was for. Throughout the day we got bits of information, but never an answer. Our conclusion was that the production was for a virtual website, either for an international duty free business or the government.
It was strange and uncomfortable standing in the middle of a giant green cube with thirty pairs of eyes staring back. English and Hindi commands were being shouted. We couldn’t understand what they wanted us to do half the time, so we just smiled.
The scenes seemed to be made up on the fly. Cameron was told to act a little and talk with the ‘car salesman’. The crazy thing was that there was no car or showroom!
It was actually pretty comical. What a bizarre way to spend an afternoon in India?
The day went by painfully slow. The worst part was that we had no idea what we were doing or when we’d be needed. People came and went. People shouted and ran up and down the hallways.
Click on the short video to see what the set looked like.
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Having trouble viewing the video – CLICK HERE
The set was hysterical and amusing, meticulous and frantic… but it was ‘Bollywood’, and we were soaking up every minute of the experience.
Cameron was called again. This time, the scene was titled “romantic walking with female”.
The scene was quick and the producers only needed a few takes. The interesting thing was that many of the other extras were actually living in Mumbai, trying to catch a break in the unpredictable acting world. They weren’t too thrilled when they learned that we were there as tourists on a mission for a unique travel experience.
Cameron’s final scene was the funniest. He was an ‘American fisherman’ that had to do fishing poses and pretend to fish in an imaginary pond.
Quite hilarious!
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Nicole’s scenes were with two different male actors. In both circumstances, she was to act in love while walking into a store and shopping. Her second scene was comical. They wanted the ‘stylist’ to tease her hair into a ponytail. She looked like she just rolled out of bed after a hard night of drinking, rather than an updo for a Bollywood scene.
After 12 hours in the cramped studio, it was finished.
In the end, Cameron was in four scenes and Nicole was in two.
We pocketed our 1,000 rupees (our day’s salary – about US$25) and were taken back to the train station to tackle the Western Rail once again.
Though it was nothing like we had expected, our day in ‘Bollywood’ was an amusing and highly educational experience that we’ll never forget. If you find yourself in Mumbai, keep an open mind. You never know when a recruiter might come knocking on your door.
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Have you ever been an extra on a movie set? What was your experience like?
Share your experience in the comments below, we’d love to read about it.
Brilliant! The American fisherman set up is hilarious!
I always love the fact that absolutely anyone can get an acting job in Bollywood, even if it’s just as an extra. My experience was quite similar, except it was for an Indian soap opera. I had a few speaking lines as a British police officer. Every now and then I’ll have a look on YouTube and try to find the episode I was in, but so far I haven’t had any luck.
That’s strange that they kept the project so secretive and didn’t reveal much to you…
Hey Earl,
Wow – lines and everything! That’s impressive. I don’t know how I would have done with reading lines. This particular crew was pretty disorganized, seemed like they had a big budget and didn’t know what to do with it.
We’ve tried hard to find the video/website/promotion (or whatever it was) but no luck either. It was strange that is was such a secret?!
Cheers!
We’ve watched a lot of Bollywood movies, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one where the white people WEREN’T the bad guys.
When it comes to production, what you experienced sounds normal. Film production is an organized mess. There’s always people rushing around getting things. The motto is: hurry up and wait.
At least in this production I was the good guy! 😉
I can’t imaginge having to deal with that organized mess everyday – yikes
Wow that sounds like an amazing experience! I’m hoping to do some travel in the next few years and I hadn’t considered India but I will do after reading this blog. I’m gonna go have a look at some of your other posts now, it sounds like you’re having a great time on your travels!
Thanks for checking in Harriet! If you’ve got any questions about a particular place we’ve been feel free to contact us
What a crazy story! I’m jealous – even though it sounds like it wasn’t quite a dream come true I’d love to say I did some Bollywood acting. Great post!
That’s how we felt – why not give it go and see what its all about! It wasn’t exactly the “Bollywood” glamour that we envisioned, but its a story and experience we’ll always have.
Cheers!
One of our regrets on our last trip is that we didn’t take up an offer to be an extra in Mumbai. We had to be there at 4am so we didn’t go for it. Next time!
That’s too bad. But I agree, 4:00 AM is a little to early for my liking!
awesome story! I hope I get a similar experience when I get to India. I think I’d heard before about people being asked to be extras but it’s nice to hear about someone who has actually done it! so cool!
Thanks Adam! Check it out, it’s definitely unlike anything we’ve ever done before. It’s hit or miss, but I’m sure if you mention it to your hostel and/or guesthouse, they’ll likely have a contact for you. It’s all about the commissions in India! 😉
You guys are so lucky, I was in Mumbai last month for a few days and would have loved an experience like this, alas it wasn’t to be. Looks like you had lots of fun with it, the “American fisherman” pic is hilarious! Hope you’re enjoying traveling in India as much as I am 🙂
We loved our time in India. It was challenging at times, and the dirty conditions started to get to us after a while, but it was one of the most unique cultural experiences we’ve had.
Wow what a great experience, I hope someone approaches me in India…
It was a long day but a great experience. Definitely give it a go when you’re there! 😉
What an experience! I didn’t know this about Mumbai and foreigners being picked up to be extras. Sounds like a great experience to take home.
We were kinda surprised also. Definitely an interesting experience.
Love this post! Looks like a visit to Mumbai might be the way to fulfill my youthful dreams about being an actress.
Why not! 😉
Has anyone else had a Bollywood experience while traveling to India? Would love to hear about it!
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Hi Nicole and Cameron,
Oh wow, I always wondered how they found foreign actors! This is so cool! Have you appeared on TV or big screen yet? Did they tell you?
Priyank
The funny this was that they were very secretive about what the project was for, which seemed strange to us. No, we never heard back from them, nor do we know what ended up happening with it. Somewhere in India there is a video of us!
OMG… this is cracking me up! Love the photo of Cam in fishing attire. Maybe you are unknowingly in an Indian fetish video or something– it all sounds so mysterious! My dream is to be in a Mexican soap opera (telenovela). Maybe I should head to Mexico City and hope for a lucky encounter. Surely, they must need gringa actresses for shopping/in love scenes there…
The “American Fisherman” scene is the fan favourite. We have no idea what the project was for, so it is quite possible that we’re in an unfavourable production.
Yes – you should definitely head to Mex City and join the cast of a Mexican soap opera!
Hi! Your day in Bollywood studios looks hilarious! And interesting about all the secrecy…! I was there this time last year as an extra on the first day’s shoot for Tees Maar Khan, which came out at Christmas… it was so much fun! We got to act as flash tourists on a plane with none other than Akshay Kumar, Bollywood’s answer to Sly Stallone, a diamond thief who takes two policemen hostage on a flight, gets all three pilots locked out of the cockpit and causes the plane almost to crash! Cue lots of screaming, over-acting and running-around-madly panic scenes :o) Best fun ever. Only earned 500 rupees though. Dang! Nice post guys – Vix.
It sounds like your Bollywood experience is the one we had envisioned!
Great story 🙂
Nope – we never did find out where the footage went! Would be pretty funny to see though 😉
Thats a great story I would love to be in a bollywood film!
It was definitely an interesting day!
It’s amazing what happens on the road! Such a fun story!
It really is, isn’t it! 😉
Brilliant! What a fantastic travel story!
Its definitely one of those stories that we’ll be telling for years to come!
I’m suitably impressed. Maybe you’ll hit the big screen and people will start asking for your autographs as you travel. What an experience. An extra in a movie or ad!
Glad you like the story Cynthia! It was a fun day in Mumbai
A friend and his son were in a movie – south of Mumbai – but the film people came to them. It was about one of the best guest houses to stay at in India and I think they chalked it up to a fun though slightly weird experience.
Love your rundown of what happened – and to think you got your Bollywood experience within hours of arrival.
It was really strange how quickly it all happened. We vividly remember having the conversation on the train… and within hours we were confirmed for a set!
We turned down the chance to be extras in Mumbai as we had to be there at 4am, but we always regretted it a bit. It definitely would have made a good story. Glad you got the opportunity anyway.
That’s too bad… but we probably would have passed too if it was at 4:00 AM. We don’t do anything at 4:00 AM!
Amazing!!! I have a friend who went to China and ended up in a made for TV movie! hahaha
It’s amazing what kind of situations you can find yourself in when traveling to a foreign country! 🙂
Ha ha! I think this is one of the reasons Greg wants to go to India! We’ve been traveling for the last 2.5 years, and spent some time in the Puerto Vallarta area in Mexico back in 2009-10. While we were there, they started looking for extras for Shartktopus, a direct-to-SyFy monster movie. Greg tried out for a part, and managed to get lines in 3 different scenes! It’s such a ridiculous movie, but he had a blast participating in it and seeing how things worked behind the scenes. Glad you guys had fun in Mumbai!
Sounds like Greg had a fun experience! Hopefully you’ll get to India soon… it’s unlike any other place on earth. Safe travels! 😉
it looks like a great amazing experience!………..
It was definitely an unusual travel experience!
This sounds, for all the waiting and confusion, like a fun experience that I would surely sign myself up for. Although, I’m not too sure I would be all that desirable as an actor even if it didn’t seem that was the qualification they were looking for lol.
It was certainly an interesting experience! I’m not sure if we would do it again… but we’re glad we tried it.
What a crazy story! Nice to see that Cam has all these interactions with other women. First there was that Thai prostitute that “stole his wallet” and all of this was proceeded by Bollywood takes with women. Sure, Nicole had scenes too but Cam’s past is much more shady! 🙂
Hah! It’s not what you think Jeremy… seriously, it’s not! 😉
Fantastic! Great story! I was a filmmaker in a former life, so I can vouch that if you aren’t one of a handful of key crew (i.e. director, AD, DOP, camera operator, etc) most film sets are incredibly boring and the process is excruciatingly slow after the novelty factor has worn off. This sounds like a must-do experience.
Fantastic! What a great story, guys! I was a filmmaker in a former life, so I can vouch that if you aren’t one of a handful of key crew (i.e. director, AD, DOP, camera operator, etc) most film sets are incredibly boring and the process is excruciatingly slow after the novelty factor has worn off. This sounds like a must-do experience.
I have to say being in a Bollywood scene is on my to-do list as well. I’m just sad you guys didn’t get to be in one of the singing and dancing ones. That’s what I want to do!
Hi. Just came across your blog. Had to answer your question re: being an extra. My husband and I were staying at an RV park in Victoria. We had just started doing our laundry when a woman came up to us and ask if we would like to be extras. Well why not. It was an outdoor cafe scene in which the stars were having a coffee/ conversation. We had to talk but not say a word! Sitting in the sun all day and someone doing our laundry, it was great fun. I think we were each paid about $50.00, enough for a great dinner. It was a Hollywood movie, can’t remember the title and we never say it. Don’t even know if our seen was cut!
What a mind blowing travel experience story? Thanks for the blog. Exploring more in this website.