Unearthly hours

Sudhir Mishra scouted the locales for Tera Kya Hoga Johny while walking through Mumbai city in the dead of night.

His habit of sauntering through the lanes of Mumbai in the dead of night not only gave director Sudhir Mishra the story idea for his film,Tera Kya Hoga Johnny,but also helped him discover several unexplored locales in the city. It’s my habit to leave home around 12 in the night in my car,send my driver back,and then disappear in the lanes of the city,especially South Mumbai. I then head back home at about four in the morning by train. During this time I saw the real Mumbai and came across some very strange people whose characteristics I have imbibed in the characters of Tera Kya Hoga Johnny, says Mishra,who has been doing this once or twice a month for several years now. It was during one of his nightly stints that the director chanced upon his coffee boys. These are young guys,who serve tea and coffee to cab-drivers,cops on night duty and others. These boys come to Mumbai from faraway places with stars in their eyes. The story of Tera Kya Hoga Johnny is through the eyes of one of these boys,who sees Neil Nitin Mukesh as his inspiration, he says. The film is also shot in real locales like the road under the JJ flyover,some lanes in Byculla,Haji Ali,Fort and many other localities in South Mumbai. It is produced by Tutu Sharma and releases on December 17.