close_game
close_game

Choreographing sports in films: Dhruv Panjuani on working in Ghoomer, 83, King of Kotha

Aug 30, 2023 06:07 AM IST

In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Dhruv Panjuani, who choreographs sports sequences in films, talks about shooting with real crowd in a stadium.

R Balki's latest outing Ghoomer may not have fared well at the box office but it garnered wide critical acclaim for portraying the emotions and the game of cricket well. In this exclusive interview, we chatted with the film's sports director Dhruv Panjuani and he shared how fun it was to work with Balki and the lead actor Saiyami Kher, and Abhishek Bachchan. Dhruv has also worked in the new Dulquer Salmaan film, King of Kotha, and Kabir Khan's 2021 movie sports drama 83. (Also read: Ghoomer review: Abhishek Bachchan, Saiyami Kher's stellar acts will move you)

Dhruv Panjuani worked with Saiyami Kher on Ghoomer that also featured Abhishek Bachchan.
Dhruv Panjuani worked with Saiyami Kher on Ghoomer that also featured Abhishek Bachchan.

Saiyami in Ghoomer

Recalling the time he worked with Saiyami and Abhishek in Ghoomer, Dhruv said, “Abhishek is so much fun to be with. That was a really fun project to be a part of and Saiyami was incredible. The first time I saw her (I was impressed). She had been training and devising her own actions. I was just like ‘Wow, this is amazing’ because if the actor is well-versed with the sport and comfortable with it, we get to take things to another level. Kudos to Balki sir for thinking 'I'm going to do this project with Saiyami because she already plays cricket well'. That helps with the first part of the film a lot. It shows how focused and clear the director is.”

Dhruv Panjuani with R Balki.
Dhruv Panjuani with R Balki.

He added that when someone is familiar with the game, as well as the camera, it makes the work easier for him and his team. Dhruv also said that the emotions flowed naturally because of Saiyami's acquaintance with cricket.

Real crowd for King of Kotha

Dhruv also recalled the time he worked on Dulquer's latest release, King of Kotha. “It is not a football film, but a gangster film. Nonetheless, it was an absolute craze shooting it. This was one of the rare films which we shot with a real crowd. Usually, VFX and editing are used for the crowds in a stadium.”

Dhruv Panjuani with Ranveer Singh and Kapil Dev during the shooting of their film, 83.
Dhruv Panjuani with Ranveer Singh and Kapil Dev during the shooting of their film, 83.

While 83 and Ghoomer were shot in empty grounds and stadiums, (crowd and stadium were VFX) but King of Kotha had a real crowd. “It was a night shoot in the middle of nowhere, I had not been to that place and it was a rural and earthy place. With the live crowd, it was a different feel. We managed to take care of the things.”

Talking about the actor, Dhruv added, “Oh my God, he's amazing. He is so down to earth, very easy to interact with. He put in all his efforts but was also very clear that football is not his game. ‘It does not get to me naturally’, he'd say. So we put in the right sport doubles.” He then went on to explain how sports doubles work in a similar way as action doubles do - they enact the actions on behalf of the actors and the star's face is later used at the editing table to make it look like he/she did the action in the particular scene.

Dhruv Panjuani's journey to become sports director

Having studied filmmaking in Boston, Dhruv started out as an assistant director. “I started working as an assistant director. When I took complete charge of one of those, I found out that there's a vacuum (in content being created around sports). The directors have their vision of the drama and emotions they need, but not so much the game. Soon, I was given charge whenever it was a sports-led project.”

Further, asked to describe how his work fits in the process of filmmaking, Dhruv said, “Depending on the project, I can become part of the conceptualisation stage to the shoot and edit as well. It is my job to understand the needs of the project (at first stage), it is my job to gather and line-up experts available for training purposes. Then it is also my job to get the logistics of setting up the game on the field. I am also the bridge between sportsperson training the actors, and the actors. Most of the directors I have worked with have been open to suggestions on how to merge the drama and the game as well.” He added that eventually, it differs each time because not he does not get onboard all the projects right from the start.

“It is not two separate entities (sports and drama), it is about how beautifully they merge together and you propel the narrative forward. It is just about understanding the director's vision and then taking it forward in that light. Whether it be fleshing out the games, whether it be just how the intensity would be or what are the moments that we want. For example, I'm working on Madhavan, Nayanthara, and Sidharth's Tamil film Test right now. Now we jam with the director just to understand how he sees the sports parts playing out and how he sees it merging with the drama. That is at the ideating stage.”

“Next comes storyboarding - to understand how conceptually things would look - the right angles we need and our treatment of it all. For example, Kabir sir (Kabir Khan, 83) was very clear that he wanted the movie and its cricket to look a certain way in the film. We shot it entirely in broadcast style."

He added, "On the other hand, the movie that I recently completed - Muttiah Muralitharan biopic (titled 800) - that had a different feel and look to it. Balki sir wanted the broadcast style, and focus on special moments. Blue Star was a whole different treatment. They are all based on cricket but each project comes with a different look and feel, differing with the director's vision.”

Dhruv's new projects

Dhruv was the sports director on Ghoomer and King of Kotha while he was credited as a sports choreographer in the Muralitharan biopic and 83. He will also be credited as a sports action director in Ashok Selvan's Blue Star.

Catch every big hit,...
See more
Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crickit, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Infographics & much more. Explore now!.

Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Wednesday, October 09, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On