a rainbow disaster

It is rumored that foreigners in India can easily earn money by taking part in movie shootings. However, there is not of lot of information how exactly it might happen. Guidebooks tell us something like “you can get hired in Colaba by guys shouting ‘Extras’ for 20$ per day; be prepared for doing nothing the whole day”.
That’s true. But not exactly. Nowadays in Bollywood tourists get just 10$ per day or aren’t get paid at lot. It happens because lots of them want to see the famous film studio from inside and they don’t really care about money. But come on! Bollywood isn’t the only one movies’ factory in the country. If you want to make some cash on showing your non-Indian face to Indian viewers, go to Tollywood in Andhra Pradesh. That’s how is called the oldest film production in India. The first letter “T” means Telugu language, which is widely spoken in that area. The capital of the state is Hyderabad – burkas in downtown and shining nightclubs in Hi-Tech city – a weird combination, isn’t it? Not many tourists have heard about it, that’s why foreigners come here only if they have some business to do as working or studying. Those, who stay in India for a long period, have a different perception of movie shootings comparing to ordinary tourists. It’s not just a fun; it’s a way to earn money.
So, once you came to Hyderabad, what are the further steps? You get to know, in which club is the Ladies’ Night tonight. Here is an approximate schedule to make your search easier: Tuesday – Sportbar-Madapur, Wednesday – Touch, Thursday – Bottle & Chimney, Friday – Liquid. Where is Ladies’ Night, there is a crowd; where is a crowd, there is a pudgy guy called Ramesh looking for new faces. As soon as he sees you, he comes down, shakes your hand, gives his business card, explains he is “a coordinator”, writes down your name and phone number, takes a snap of you and that’s it. Since there you are in his database getting messages with job offers regularly. A typical Ramesh-style SMS looks like that: “Hi, how r u? We hav a movie shoting in airport 2mrw. We need 15 girls and 10 guys. We pay 1500 Rs. We pick up at 7 am and finish at 6 pm. Please let me now”. 1500 Rs makes 35 dollars, quite good amount for doing nothing and getting fed in India. Yet the best deals are called “event programmes” in Ramesh-language. Usually it turns out to be a wedding or a huge birthday party. Officially, you are a barman there, in fact you are a bar decoration smiling to guests. It takes 3 times less hours than shootings and meanwhile you get paid twice more.
Of course, there is much more to tell about movie shootings, event programmes etc. But, if I tell everything, it won’t be an adventure for you. So, try on my guidelines to create your own experience.