Ever since the turn of the 20th century, India’s entertainment industry has evolved into a sociocultural behemoth unlike any other, attaching itself to everything from politics to social norms. Defined by a rich tapestry of film, music, television, and more, it is now a vast ocean of interconnected cogs that keep the wheels churning year over year. Interestingly, Bollywood alone employs over half a million individuals. And you probably think you know who these people are — the scriptwriters, background music scorer, directorial assistants, stylists, et al. But scratch above the surface and the entertainment industry will throw up professionals, you didn’t even blink to think existed. From a private chef, who prepares fresh rotis on set to a doctor moonlighting as a script consultant — here are four ultra-niche experts working their magic behind the screens.
Entertainment Lawyer
Priyanka Khimani received a life-changing call at just 24-years-old to represent the legendary Lata Mangeshkar, and although Mangeshkar has since passed away, Khimani continues to represent her estate as the founder of Khimani & Associates, a Mumbai-based law firm recognised for its entertainment and intellectual property practice. “Before starting my legal career, I worked in peripheral roles such as modelling, advertising, and writing for TV shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi and Dus Ka Dum as a junior writer. However, I found it difficult to make a steady income, which led me to pursue a job at a law firm for financial stability,” she says.
People often wonder why a talent even needs a lawyer — Khamani is frequently mistaken for her clients’ manager or CA. However, a person doesn’t simply require legal representation after being served a notice; there are still a lot of things to accomplish. “Today, almost 95% of the music industry is represented by us — from AR Rahman to Prateek Kuhad — and additionally, we have actors and directors, too. One of the many things that we do is provide valuable business advice and help them achieve the best possible business structure. I think we that we made it almost ‘cool’ for talent to have their own representation,” she adds.
Just like the fast-paced industry she represents, Khamani also needs to keep up with quickly changing circumstances. “With clientele like this, there is more negotiation and less arguments,” she says. “And you’ll see this across the board, even when we’re negotiating on these licenses, or signing a new model, a new album, anything or if a client is buying equity. You have to know the law, but you also have to be very, very savvy. What are the commercial terms? How are these being structured? You cannot excel if you don’t get your hands dirty. The more of it you do, the sharper you’re becoming because you’re seeing how things are being done across the board,” Khamani concludes.
Intimacy Coach
Although intimacy workshops were already happening in India, the film Gehraiyaan brought intimacy coaching to the forefront, and Neha Vyaso was the driving force behind it. Years ago, while attending a theatre course in Prague, Vyaso had the opportunity to work with an intimacy choreographer, and that experience left a lasting impression on her. “After returning to India, I realised that such coaching was not prevalent in the country. So, I took a few courses and training sessions in New York and began developing intimacy workshop modules. I co-produced the film Bodies of Desire, and my director of photography, Kaushal Shah, showed my work to Shakun Batra, who then asked me to conduct an eight-day-long workshop with the cast of Gehraiyaan,” she explains.
Since 2019, Vyaso has worked on a variety of films and web series, and she notes that actors are very eager to learn and participate in the process. “All the actors I have worked with, be it Deepika Padukone or Karishma Tanna, have been super receptive,” she says. However, Vyaso is more interested in working with showrunners, such as directors and producers, who are the driving forces behind everything that happens on set and screen. She has worked with directors such as Nikhil Advani and Hansal Mehta, and notes that they openly engage in the processes involved with making intimate performances safe, expressive and authentic.
Script Consultant
Special consultants are often hired on sets to provide help with specific needs, and script consultants are play an important role here. In the United States, where medical dramas such as Grey’s Anatomy are commonplace, doctors are employed full-time as medical consultants to assist writing teams. Dermatologist and Dermatosurgeon, Dr. Agni Kumar Bose, is one such consultant, who works in the Indian entertainment industry.
“My journey as a medical consultant began with the 2019 TV show Sanjivani, and I find the role to be quite diverse. My responsibilities include training actors in how to suture wounds and ensuring that the set looks realistic. However, the most challenging part of this role is script writing. I have to provide consultation on situations, such as whether to kill a character or make them incapacitated, but still able to stand up in the next ten minutes,” he says. Dr. Bose doesn’t mind the extra income and break from the monotony of his daily life. He strives to balance his professional and freelance gigs by working at the hospital during the day and dedicating his evenings to his consultancy.
“I enjoy my consultant work so much that I took up another medical drama series called Doctors, which will soon be streaming. The work can be hectic, but I find it interesting when I collaborate with the writers or work with the VFX team to ensure things look as original as possible. I also have an intern, who is also a doctor, and stays on the set from Monday to Friday. I relieve her on the weekends, allowing myself to balance my work with the show and the responsibilities at the hospital. Ultimately, I find that my consultant work on the set is similar to what I do in the hospital, and I just have to recreate that on the sets,” he adds.
Private Chef
After cooking for Ranbir Kapoor for over three years, chef Harsh Dixit has now built a team that caters to various high-profile clients, including the Ambani family, Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya. While he started off as an entrepreneur providing healthy meals, he later became a freelancer, and now focuses on delivering a unique food experience to his clients. Being a private chef has given Dixit the opportunity to travel with his clients during their shoots, which he describes as a fun and exciting experience. “You gain a lot of perspective as a result of having to adjust to situations where you might not even have a functional kitchen set up,” he shares. “When I went to Manali with Kapoor, it was snowing heavily. I was unable to obtain fresh vegetables. Cooking food in accordance with diet regimens that are always changing presents a challenge. And like everyone else, they require a nutritious diet that is also delectable,” Dixit says.
Dixit places a lot of emphasis on the culinary experience. “Occasionally, the shooting location is distant from the hotel, and so that fresh meals may be prepared, I always keep an induction barbecue cooker with me. A curry can still be prepared, but if it is served with rotis, it loses its appeal by the time it gets to the customer. So, in certain cases, we’ve taken the dough and provided freshly rolled rotis. Small details truly do count,” he notes.
His first meal for Ranbir Kapoor was a breakfast porridge recipe of egg whites, fruits, and maple syrup, followed by a quinoa salad with chicken breasts and roasted pumpkin for lunch. Although Kapoor politely told him that he preferred chicken legs over breasts, Dixit remains focused on finding ways to introduce new ingredients to his clients.
