Mumbai Feb 28 PTI She wakes up every morning with the hope that Russias invasion of her country is a nightmare but the grim reality of her parents friends and extended family being trapped in a war imperiling their lives sinks in moments later says Ukrainian filmmaker Dar GaiOscillating between despair disbelief and sometimes helpless tears the India-based director said her loved ones back are home are going trying to save themselves by hiding in subway stations converted into bomb shelters Thankfully her parents have managed to leave KyivTill the last moment we couldnt believe that in the 21st century world a European country can be bombed can be invaded Every morning I wake up and think that it was just a nightmare Gai who made the move to India 10 years ago told PTIAs global attention remains focused on Ukraine after Russian troops stormed towns and villages in the east European nation leading to hundreds of casualties and many thousands forced to flee their homes Gai is frantic with worry and also angryI saw a video of a Russian tank passing by the school where I used to study Its scary Its absurd she said stressing that the attack is a war and not a conflict or an operation on UkraineGai an intimacy director in Shakun Batras Gehraiyaan is best known for directing festival favourites Teen Aur Aadha and Namdev Bhau In Search of Silence I cant believe its happening with me with my family with my country Its been difficult I cant reply to any messages that ask me whether Im okay because I immediately break down Gai saidShe is in constant touch with her relatives and has been getting messages that fill her with dread Her parents she said had a tough time leaving Kyiv because all highways were blocked but somehow managed to reach their village to be with the extended familyLeaving everything they own everything that is close to their heart and relocating just with an aim to save their lives is leaving a tremendous psychological impact on the people of Ukraine the director assertedEverything just has to be just forgotten I have friends there who want to stay back and fight but to what end I have been getting messages from family members who are just confused shocked and are not able to take any rational decisions The psychological impact of this has been tremendous she addedThe entire situation she added reminds her of the German invasion in 1941 Describing Kyiv as a beautiful European city the filmmaker said The last time we were at war this way was with Germany in 1941 now using the same propaganda methods the Russians have entered our cities and homes bombing civilian houses roads bridges schools and kindergartens In her view Russian troops have been at war with Ukranian soldiers for many yearsYoung innocent people have been dying silently on the frontlines without any media coverage without any international recognition or support she said adding that Ukranians are fighting for their dignity and peaceWe know what we are fighting for - our dignity the peaceful future of the world and most importantly for common sense to prevail she addedThe solution Gai believes lies in uniting together protesting and sending letters to NATO established in the aftermath of World War IIWe need to remember that one single person can change the entire future of a country Spread the word talk to your friends about it come out on the streets and protest send letters to NATO demand that the EU politicians must interfere in this to help with humanitarian aid to help finance and create a shield for air attacks If we wait for too long to interfere we might lose millions of lives around the globe she saidAccording to Gai people often refrain from showing support till it concerns them She also appealed to world leaders to react and support the countryWe always think this doesnt concern us until our streets are bombed Isolationism and appeasement have been the primary reasons for the earlier great wars and its true that the last few years have not been easy on any nation or economy she saidCountries are too busy looking after themselves and trying to make it back from the damage of the pandemic but moments like this are the real test of a global cohesion leaders of the free world need to react now they need to interfere because if they dont maybe there will be no free world left to react at all Gai addedAmid the horrors of war breaking out in her country she said she has found support from her friends and colleagues in IndiaEveryone is really concerned All my Indian friends give me such a support that I feel overwhelmed I keep getting messages calls tags The only thing that I havent learned how to deal with my emotions and I cant reply to these messages as it triggers me immediately Gai is working on a project with Afghan filmmaker Sarhaa Karimi who had appealed to filmmakers worldwide to put pressure on their respective government to help the people of Afghanistan when the country was taken over by Taliban in September last yearIn fact Sarhaa was rescued by the Ukrainian mission from Afghanistan We are all united in this Because we know we are on the side of light Gai said PTI KKP SHD MIN MIN MIN

New Delhi Jan 31 PTI The global MeToo movement against sexual abuse has made people aware that acting is a vulnerable profession and there is a need to provide a physically and psychologically safe work environment to actors says Gehraiyaan intimacy director Dar GaiThe Ukraine-born filmmaker who is settled in India was roped in by director Shakun Batra for the film making Gehraiyaan one of the first movies in Bollywood to have an intimacy director a position which became an integral part of film sets in the post MeToo worldGai believes the role of an intimacy specialist on the set is that of a protector who understands and respects the performers traumasExecution of the product is not enough whats also important is how we feel during that execution how our actors feel whether they feel psychologically in a safe zone or not the filmmaker told PTI in a Zoom interviewThe MeToo movement which was propelled by the expose of Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinsteins widespread sexual abuse made people look at actors with a more humane approach she saidThe movement made us realise that there are so many different ways in which trust can be compromised We need to understand that actors are human beings they have certain trauma and experiences in life certain things they dont want to do All this needs to be discussed with them in order to keep them stable happyIt also makes the entire process easier more professional and gets an outcome which can create much more connection with your audience than if you just push your actors to do whatever youd like to Gai addedThe filmmaker shared that she knows a lot of actors who have had disturbing experiences as the directors wanted them to go beyond their comfort zone while doing an initimate sceneBeing an actor its a very vulnerable profession because you have so many eyes looking at you and judging you and thinking about you And its complicated It is important to figure out how to make that zone that experience safer she assertedGehraiyaan starring Deepika Padukone Siddhant Chaturvedi Ananya Panday Dhairya Karwa is a contemporary relationship drama Gai gives credit to Batra for understanding the need of bringing in specialists to choreograph the intimate scenes and also to help actors prepare for the sameBest known for directing festival favourites -- Teen Aur Aadha and Namdev Bhau In Search of Silence Gai believes directors and producers have the responsibility of creating a healthy work space for performersDirectors and producers need to understand that intimacy specialist be it a director or coordinator or coach is there on set not just to be in certain teams like actors team or just director They are there to facilitate a comfort zone for everyone Its not trying to take the directors vision it actually tries to help she asserted adding that intimacy directors act as a bridge between all the departmentsDetailing the process they used while preparing and shooting for the Amazon Original movie Gai said they started with understanding what exactly they had to bring on screen and accordingly designed workshops for the four leadsWe sat with our actors and took them through each and every shot that we thought could be complicated And if theyre uncomfortable with something ie they didnt want to do something we had a space to sort out those issues and find alternatives As it was her first job as an intimacy director Gai said she was excited about the outcome and was extremely happy with the way things turned out on the day of the shoot The actors she said were all supportiveWhat was surprising for me is that not even for once the actors hesitated even when we started workshops They never said no to any of the exercises If something wasnt clear for them they would just ask me in a polite constructive way Its very collaborative working in this kind of environment The filmmaker believes workshops help the actors as well as the director find the right language for a particular character that will seem organic on the screen She said she noticed a huge difference in the way the four lead performers conducted themselves on shoot post the sessionsWe immediately saw the difference before the workshop and after the workshop when we shot They understood each other so when the complicated scenes were conducted it wasnt difficult anymore she saidGehraiyaan also featuring Naseeruddin Shah and Rajat Kapoor in supporting roles will premiere on Prime Video on February 11 PTI SHD BK SHD SHD

Mumbai Jan 20 PTI Bollywood star Deepika Padukone on Thursday said on screen intimacy is not an easy task and she credited filmmaker Shakun Batra for creating a safe environment on the sets of her latest movie GehraiyaanBilled as a drama about complex modern relationships Gehraiyaan also features Siddhant Chaturvedi Ananya Panday and Dhairya KarwaAt the films virtual trailer event Padukone was all in praise of Batra for creating a safe and secure environment especially for the films intimate scenesShakun gave me and all of us the comfort you feel safe and secure because intimacy is not easy It is not something that we ever experienced or explored in Indian cinema before in a way we have in this filmSo to go down that route of intimacy and vulnerability is possible when you know the director is not doing it for eyeballs Because that is where the characters are coming from their experience and journey It is possible when you feel safe and secure in the environment Padukone told reportersIn a first for a major Bollywood movie the films makers have roped in filmmaker Dar Gai to serve as the intimacy directorThe 36-year-old actor said Gehraiyaan is a raw film and she had to dig deep into her real-life experiences to play the role of AlishaI want to say bold but I also dont want to say bold because the way we understood bold in our films I would say raw This character is a lot more raw and real than some of the other characters just emotionally completely stripped naked vulnerable and to be able to do it on screen it had to come from a deep placeIt is not to say that I havent experienced that before but to this extent I had to really dig places and visit places that arent pleasant experiences from my own life as well as dealing with mental health issues So all of that put together it came from a deep place she addedAsked how he decided to rope in Dar Gai as the films intimacy director Batra said he believes intimacy is a very specialised field and needs a specialist to supervise just like in choreography and actionYou have to create an environment where actors feel confident where you have thought everything and done prep as much as you do for a song or action sequence The Kapoor and Sons filmmaker said he had read how intimacy directors form an important part in the making of the film in the WestThere is a procedureI thought we should adapt those things My attempt was to design a system where everyone is comfortable In this entire film whenever we had a crew like a cameraman we wanted to understand their outlook towards intimacy Batra saidWe were treating intimacy like a story and we want to see it like a character So the prep and the detailing was required It was important we have an intimacy director And Dar Gai has contributed a lot to the film It is important to give her the same respect as we give to all HODs he added Praising Padukone Batra said he was amazed to see the hunger and dedication the Bollywood star had towards the filmFor me it was amazing to see her at this stage of career trying to do characters that are so challenging I cant see this film without her cant see this film with anybody else I am thankful that we did itGehraiyaan also starring Nasseruddin Shah and Rajat Kapur Produced by Karan Johars Dharma Productions the film will release on streaming service Prime Video on February 11 PTI KKP RB RB