My life in the movies - Part 1

This past Sunday, our pastor offered a sermon titled "Detours". It was, basically, the idea that Life offers detours all the time and that, through the most unexpected turns, your life unfolds. Well that is certainly the case here.

First off, I should say that my best friend, Michele, is another example of a major detour story. Through a series of Lemony Snickett type situations she has now one of the most interesting and crazy jobs ever. She is the Private Chef to a major "Bollywood" movie star.

Huh?

Okay, let's walk through this... First a definition..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood 
Alot of folks have seen some of these films as they are starting to reach our shores and run in art houses. "Monsoon Wedding" and "Bride and Prejudice" come to mind as fun romps. This can be found in your local video store. (An Indian friend mentioned "Three Idiots"!) The Bollywood scene is run by many clans that basically make all the films. The young actors of today have come from long - in some cases extremely long - pedigrees. They have an air of royalty to them, I think. (Indian friends, correct me if I'm wrong!) This entry will focus on members of the Hussain and Bachchan families.

Okay, back on track now... So I have been talking to Michele since August about this wild ride she has been on. This actor is on a special diet and eats every 2 1/2 hours and grabs time with a trainer when not on set. She said.."it's like I am working for a racehorse". She has become part of an entourage that includes a manager, a butler, a trainer, a nutritionist, a driver, a bodyguard and a nanny.

During the week preceding Labor Day she calls to say that I will be getting a call from a casting director. She said they were looking for kids for three days of filming at Six Flags Great America. (Oh, did I mention that all this filming is being done in Chicago?) Sure enough, that call came through and not only did they offer my daughter 3 days of paid extra work but they wanted me too. I could get very big headed over this but we hired sight unseen and they needed bodies, plain and simple. Still it was fun to feel that they "needed" us on set. It sure helped that Michele had been hanging out with these people!

The film is called DHOOM 3 and stars many of the most popular actors today in Bollywood -  Aamir Khan , Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra and Katrina Kaif.  The wife of Mr. Bachchan, the lovely Aishwarya Rai  appeared in the earlier DHOOM 2. This time around she is on mommy duty as they welcomed a daughter into the world just last year, I believe. These two are the Brad/Angelina of Asia. I believe that Mr. Khan signed on for DHOOM 3 and Abhishek has been in all three movies.

Whew! Getting the idea here? This is big stuff. But....because we are on American soil these folks are just actors with strange names, right? So this is what we are signing on for...three days as paid background extras in a Bollywood movie!

TALK ABOUT A DETOUR! Sure didn't see this one coming!

BTW, Michele is working for Aamir Khan or, as she refers to him, "the actor". 

Okay, so now we get an email packet that is full of things that I must do to get Mallory a work permit for the state of Illinois. I learned alot about it over the course of a few days. Keep in mind, this was butting up to the Labor Day holiday and offices were going to be closed. I got on the computer and sent emails to her principal and, when he said yes, to all her teachers. To work on a union film a minor (under 16) must have the following to get a work permit... Stamped birth certificate (no photocopies), social security card (yup, the card!), a recent form from her doctor that shows she has had a physical within the last year and is healthy, a letter from her principal, on school letterhead, that states that she is a student and the hours she is in school, a signed letter from the company stating that she is working for them and a letter signed by the parents stating that the student has their permission to work. I think that's it.

OH...this is in ILLINOIS right? If this film had been shot in Michigan she could go to her District Superintendent to get the permit. Nope. We had to go to the Illinois Board of Education office located in the Thompson Center at 100 W. Randolph and Clark.

Now, I have said yes and all the emailing starts. Not to mention the phone calling..."Does she have her permit yet?"  Yikes! Okay, add to all this that school is starting in Michigan and Mallie really wants to be there on the first day. Shooting starts the next day. I swear up and down that, as the office opens at 9:00am that I will have the work permit in hand by 9:15 Wednesday morning. And that, thank God, is how it worked out. They weren't thrilled but, honestly, it was the best we could do.

So the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL...EIGHTH GRADE! Whew! As soon as it ends I whisk her off and we are on our way to Chicago!