Punya Pratap

The winter of 2005 will forever be a surreal dream for a man who hitherto never had any experience of what it takes to make a movie. The man who had never been interested in the glamour and glitz of Production. It might be blasphemy for a lot of Sharpe fans here to find out that the man who assisted Sean Bean on two of the sequels shot in India had never heard of Sharpe! Worse still the man only vaguely remembered Sean Bean as a poker faced villain from Goldeneye.

The story of my association with Sharpe and Sean was brought about entirely by Fate for I never aspired for it. It’s one of those incidents which make the Indians’ fixation with Fate seem vindicated as I got a call from a friend of mine, Amit, who was into modelling and used to participate in shoots. He mentioned about a Foreign Production house scouting for locals in Jaipur, which is my home town and was the base for the Sharpe’s Challenge shoot. He was informed by a friend who was working for the Indian Production house of a need for someone who knew the region inside and out, its history, culture, geography and effectively communicates all that in English. As he dragged me out of his house, he told me that he was going to audition as a stand-in for one of the actors and all I had to do was tag along and motivate him. Little did I know that he had already set me up for an interview as an Assistant to SEAN BEAN!!

My friend Amit was selected to be a stand in for Sean and his job was to fill up the place of Sean in front of the camera in between shots while everything was set up for Sean to come over for the take. It was a breeze for Amit since he already had a friend who was coordinating for the Indian Production house but imagine my surprise when he informed me to get ready for my interview! Shocked as I was, I gamely accepted the challenge as I had nothing to lose. In hindsight had I been aware of what Sharpe is all about and who Sean Bean is, I would certainly have had my bravado vanishing into thin air. They say ignorance is bliss and the interview was anything but that even though I could never figure out why I was asked to see another person after my first interview. All in all I was interviewed thrice and I was intrigued enough to ask the lady in charge of the Indian Production house why they were being so apprehensive. Her words will always be imprinted on my mind as she said with a grave expression on her face “Do you know that one mistake from your side can cost us entire days shoot and it is imperative that you keep the Lead Actor in good humour for everything revolves around him!”

I fondly refer to Sean as Lord Bean as I keep telling him of how much convincing I had to do to get the post of his Assistant. For all the effort it took, I can say that it is one of the best things to happen to me and I am eternally thankful to the people who were responsible for giving me the chance and with whom I worked on Sharpe’s Challenge and Sharpe’s Peril. I had stated on the Making of Sharpe’s Challenge that everyone had put a lot of hard work behind and in front of the Camera and I can tell you it was a gruelling six weeks. I was entrusted with the job of getting Sean on the set at the right time and then making sure he was prepared for each shot. A typical day at the Office saw us wake up at 4 in the morning for a reporting time of 6 on the set!

From 6 AM till 7 PM we were constantly running around trying desperately to keep up with the demands of a tough task master like Tom Clegg! I have learnt a lot observing the people at work while we were shooting and I learnt the meaning of Energy from Tom who never tired. At Seventy plus he was in the lobby of the Hotel every morning doing a bit of Yoga whilst the younger lot were yawning away to glory! I learnt how a little bit of humour lights up the gloomiest day when things don’t go right from the Assistant Director, Michael Mallinson. He would always have a tongue in cheek comment for everyone and an impish twinkle in the eyes when he delivered his dialogue. I can innumerate many individuals and their special qualities but I am here to talk about what it takes to make one of the Sharpe Series even though I would love to talk of the individuals who make it possible. As we are not here to make a Documentary on the individuals let us return to the narrative and talk about the shoot and assisting Sean. I sincerely think that he is a superb actor and the one who came a close second to him has to be Toby Stephens with a refreshingly studied approach to his character.

Toby has truly acquired acting through his genes and I suppose being the son of a great actress has taught him an approach to each character that borders on LIVING that character. He had a swagger befitting his role whenever he was walking around the sets where as Sean would just sit and await his turn to give the shot. In cinematic parlance Toby can be called a Method Actor whereas Sean is a Natural actor. Toby would stand in front of the whole Crew and work out his throat and the first time I heard him made me cringe but his presence on the screen is phenomenal.

I think Sean is an institution in himself with all the experience that he has and anyone who can play Macbeth on stage and get rave reviews from the critics will always command admiration. I hope that I made a little difference to his work even though I don’t think he needed me for doing what he does so well. I hope I proved to be a worthwhile coordinator and man Friday! The very fact that he asked for the same Assistant, same Driver and the same horse when he came back to shoot for Sharpe’s Peril was appreciation enough, though being mentioned along with the horse in the same breath rankles me even today! My job was demanding since I was even on duty after the pack up especially on the weekly day off as I wanted to make sure Sean was indeed treated like Lord Bean! For all the hard work, I have earned the trust of a Superstar who has a huge fan following yet very down to earth. I will always remember the consideration he showed when he had me shifted to a Hotel closer to his so that I didn’t have to do a 45 minute run every morning and evening for Sharpe’s Challenge. I will always cherish the Cowboy Hat that he gifted me after Sharpe’s Peril and the rapport that I share with him even today. I will never forget the warmth Lady Bean, as I fondly call Georgina, bestows on me even today. If it hadn’t been for those two lovebirds on the Sharpe’s Peril shoot, I would definitely have stayed away from falling for a girl who was poles apart from me!

From a man who didn’t know anything about Sharpe and had a vague idea about Sean Bean I can confidently say that my association with the Sharpe Series and Sean in particular taught me never to be in awe of any situation or person. It was the reason why I have decided to take up Tourism as my Karmic field as I realised that I want to show my country to everyone who comes here.

It was this association with Sean and Sharpe that prompted me to start a Travel Company www.havelitravel.com of my own where I could share my passion for my country with everyone. I believe there is much more to India than just a commercialized package which skims the surface but there are innumerable stories to tell under the surface. Had my adventures with Sharpe not happened I would never have thought about venturing forth with my own Travel Agency with a personalized service. For that I say again; Thank you Sharpe and Thank you Sean!!

Sharpe is Wellington’s Man whenever he needs someone for a difficult mission, a dependable soldier he can count on to do what’s right and to save the day for England and King George. Sharpe depends on his Chosen Men when duty calls and together they stalk the enemy and live to fight another day.

But whom does Sean Bean call upon to help him through a tough day of filming on the set in far off India? Who was there not only to help the star of Sharpe with what he needed in the course of the entire shoot for both Sharpe’s Challenge and Sharpe’s Peril, but at the end of the day when the lights went out and the crowds thinned out? Who saw that underneath the guise of of a world renowned film and television star beat the heart of a true professional, gentleman and friend?

PUNYA PRATAP

L, Punya Pratap R, Sean Bean, on the set of Sharpe’s Peril. Punya holds the day’s call sheet in one hand and a moist chamois at the ready to help Sean cope with India’s heat during filming.

I still remember the rashes he got while shooting under the searing heat of the April sun that made wearing the Richard Sharpe woollen uniform a torture yet his stoic dedication towards his work. I have realized that Sean is an amazing judge of people and for that I will get his approval when I choose the girl I marry. Even though the whole concept of arranged marriage brought about an incredulous look on his face I am sure his will be the warmest wishes when I get married!

It is the reason why every time I go to watch a movie I cannot be a superficial audience and every shot is critically examined. For all the joy that I have been robbed of by watching movies I have seen an Art form with the maximum impact from inside and I am enriched. I have seen how much co-ordination it takes to give life to a script and the unsung heroes from Costumes, Makeup and Armoury to name but a few are the real stars behind each Production. They are the ones who make the Characters believable and bring an authenticity to it all.

I am a true Sharpe fan and Sean Bean is my absolute favourite superstar and I still sometimes dream of the exotic Forts and Palaces and the beautiful people that made it all possible!

This then is the story of how the man in question was converted over to be a die hard Sharpe fan and a hardcore Sean Bean devotee and after knowing him up close and personal I can empathetically say that Sean Bean is an amazingly talented, sweet natured and down to earth superstar! My name is Punya Pratap and here I recount an experience that will last me a lifetime.

I swear I almost got myself killed by Ben Burt from the Assistant Director’s team because I denied hearing about Richard Sharpe and his swashbuckling adventures! My little adventure would have been finished even before it had started but for the fact that India till then had been strangely ignored by ITV when it came to the Sharpe Series.