It all
began when our group was invited to a wedding reception here in Ahmedabad way back in January.
We were included because one of the student’s uncle extended the invitation to us. The man with me in the pictures is Chandresh Bhatt who is the producer for the episode in which we will appear. He also writes and directs on other episodes of this popular crime show. 
The show’s name is Shapath-Sabse Badi Talaash which is available on Google, YouTube, and Facebook. Chandresh came to our hostel to invite us to play ourselves….tourists in India. Monday was to be our first day, so not much studio work was done as we waited and not too patiently. (Most of us have not the level of patience that Indians have…) Well, there were problems with permits to shoot from the famous Indian bureaucracy. We have dealt with them so we completely understood. Shooting would be on Tuesday. David was still feeling under the weather and some of the students decided not to be a part of the “shoot,” on the that day.
A small bus was sent to pick us up and drive to the Nehru Bridge connecting new and old Ahmedabad. You can get a taste from the pictures, but not of the blazing sun, total traffic stopping in both directions, people calling to the star, Murli Sharma for pictures, directions translated by Naraj, takes , retakes..running in the sun…
I will just post pictures for you to see and your imagination will have to make the tapes roll. The guy in the orange shirt is Murli, the star..diva really with an umbrella over his head when not on camera, a make-up man in tow, a director’s chair for him to sit in…and endless cell phone conversations!
From there we went to the Polls or old town. The last scene shot was in a 500 year old temple. One funny thing that happened was that the director called for costume changes before the temple scene! We were dressed as tourists, cameras, jeans, hats…we brought nothing to change into. A helper was sent to a nearby shop and came back with armloads of Indian clothes for us! The kids were allowed to keep their costume change as a souvenir.
Our first day went from 9:30 until almost 6 PM after much waiting around. We thanked everyone, got some shots with the star, the director, and producer and left thinking our adventure was over. 
But the next day, Chandresh called to ask us to go in the afternoon to a famous Gurarati step well to continue shooting. We were blown away finding out we had more than cameo appearance shots in this show. The well was the one where I am holding the baby in a previous post.
I am including shots taken at the well for you to enjoy. Our episode will air on Sony TV on March 30 and 31st. Indian TV repeats shows for people who miss them. This was such an unexpected experience and the Indians were so kind and friendly, making it be a very special memory, one we will never forget! Thanks Chandresh! Nameste….T I I
Thanks to Erin for many of the pictures.
TalesAlongTheWay 
HI, I nominated you for Very Inspiring Blogger award here http://praguebykaty.wordpress.com/2013/03/22/praguebykaty100/, beacuse I think your blog is great.
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How very kind of you ….thanks!
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Anne, this is such a fascinating experience……can we see it in the USA?
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I am pretty sure you will be able to see it at some point. I don’t know the English translation of the name of the show, but when I typed in the Hindi spelling , I was able to get past episodes and see pictures, etc. You can also go to YouTube site to learn more. The dates for our episode are next weekend, March 30 and 31st each night at 8PM! It was crazy fun!
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Pingback: The Pols of Ahmedabad | TalesAlongTheWay
You’re a star, Anne! Where’s your umbrella?! 😉 What a wonderful experience this was!
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LOL. . . . I surely enjoyed every minute !
Thanks for the comment! TIII ! This Is Incredible India! Namaste!
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I’ve heard of this show! I’ll look up this episode for sure! Must’ve been a fascinating experience! I’m glad you had a wonderful India tour!
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It was a blast! It is on Saturday and Sunday night an hour each night. We never really understood the plot, and after seeing it , we didn’t either, but we loved it! You will see the lovely 20 something students and I am the old bird in hat sort of on the edge! 😎 Did you read California Dreaming, about Chandresh Bhatt? Great guy we met!
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Yupp, just finished reading it! Really enjoyed it! It’s always great meeting someone who’s passionate about his/her dreams..and to get to be a part of their work must’ve been amazing! 😀
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Chandresh is one of the many interesting people I have met in India and on the blog. Love it! Best to you. Will be in touch! Namaste. . . . .
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Your blog is a great find for me today! I’ve lived in India my entire life but you’ve re-invigorated me as an Indian by your posts. Thankyou for that! 🙂 Namaste…
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What a lovely gift you have given me this morning! I have heard similar comments and each is so appreciated. I loved incredible India and the gifts I received daily during my four month stay. I am happy to give you the insight I received in your country. It is an amazing place!
Do you mind telling me where in India you live? We were stationed in Gujarat but traveled pretty extensively. Also are you an engineer? I have met many Indian engineers who love poetry! 😎
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I’m basically from Dehradun, Uttarakhand which is pretty little valley in North India. You might have visited it if you visited Mussoorie. I did my engineering from Pune, Maharashtra, a town which I know you’d enjoy immensely if you visited it. I’ve just started working in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and I’m still exploring the town!
And yes, I love all forms of literature including poetry! 😀
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Thank you !
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