Being the herculian figures that we are it was no suprise that we would eventually be snapped up into the world of entertainment. This came in Fort Cochin in central Kerala.

After spending the morning having a go at hauling in a catch using the chinese cantilever fishing nets at the north end of the town we headed for lunch. It was then that a guy on a motorbike pulled over and asked "you guys want to be in a movie?". As we pondered with amazement he then announced that we would get free food, beer and 500 rupees for our troubles. Sold.

We arrived at the set (...God how 'industry' do I sound now) and sat around drinking tea and eating cakey-type things whilst watching the filming. From the way he sold it to us we assumed that we'd just be in the background of some restaraunt type setting, this wasn't the case. Instead, we were lead upstairs to a room where a scene of a 'pop-star' performing his single was being filmed. It was then that the director began to demonstrate the choreographed dance routine that we would have to perform.....pretty sure this wasn't in the contract. After a poke in the eye and several mis-timed fistpumps, eventually we got the jist and filming began.

As it transpires that tourist being touted for filming roles isn't an uncommon occurance. Indian music scenes often have white backing dancers as they can 'get away with showing more flesh' apparently. Nevertheless, being in a movie wasn't something one does every day, thus the necessity to make the most of the experience was essential. For us, this required ignoring huge portions of the routine and wiggling instead...on every scene....just to be sure.

After a few hours of intense heat, magnified by the hundreds of Indian extras and the typically Indian smoke-mashine where a red hot plate of charcoal was carried in, shaken about, then removed. We were exhausted. I was more than happy to let some of the overly enthusiastic Indians that jostled to get to the front take my place, but every time we did we were dragged back to the front by the director or one of his henchmen.

Spotting our tedium, we were then handed a few sneaky beers in between scenes that strangely reinvigorated our appetite for the whole thing. Not long after the filming was finished. We were given a buffet meal and our money which was duley spent with at a bar with the other extras before we headed to the airport to catch our flight to Delhi and our volunteering projects!