‘MOHABBATEIN’ GOLDEN JUBILEE
Yash Chopra’s Mohabbatein, the second directorial venture of Aditya Chopra, entered its 50th week at Novelty (matinee), Bombay on 5th October. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai (guest appearance), Jugal Hansraj, Jimmy Shergill and newfinds Uday Chopra, Shamita Shetty, Preeti Jhangiani and Kim Sharma, the film has music by Jatin Lalit and lyrics by Anand Bakshi.
In a gesture similar to the one that marked the 300-week celebrations of its DDLJ, Yash Raj Films is distributing a double cassette of dialogues and songs of Mohabbatein as souvenirs, among the audience at Novelty in its 50th week.
Mohabbatein has become the second highest grosser, after DDLJ, of Yash Raj Films. Yash Raj Films has also released a double DVD set of Mohabbatein in Overseas where it is ranking among the highest-selling Hindi film DVDs.
‘MISSION KASHMIR’ GOLDEN JUBILEE
Producer-director Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Mission Kashmir entered 50th combined week at Dreamland (matinee), Bombay on 5th October. The film stars Sanjay Dutt, Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Jackie Shroff, Sonali Kulkarni and Puru Raaj Kumar in a guest appearance. It has story and screenplay by Abhijat Joshi, Suketu Mehta, Vikram Chandra and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and dialogues by Atul Tiwari. Lyrics of Rahat Indori and Sameer have been set to tune by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
LATEST POSITION
Chandni Bar is excellent in Bombay but poor elsewhere. 1st week Bombay 35,27,684 (91.39%) from 7 cinemas (4 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,00,267 (1 unrecd.), Rajkot 88,000; Pune 8,36,256 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 88,050; Delhi 10,58,896 (33.08%) from 6 cinemas; Agra 85,000, Varanasi 40,223, Allahabad 40,000; Nagpur 1,30,023, Amravati 62,993, Akola 47,117; Hyderabad (gross) 3,94,410.
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Ajnabee dropped quite badly almost everywhere. 2nd week Bombay 52,88,675 from 15 cinemas (7 on F.H.), total for 2 weeks 1,27,48,755; Ahmedabad 3,81,983 from 3 cinemas (4 unrecd.), Rajkot 1,83,540, Jamnagar 71,124 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Adipur 1,27,640, Bhuj 1,10,000; Pune 14,02,458 from 4 cinemas, Solapur 2,10,500 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Bijapur 62,987; Delhi 54,63,428 from 13 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Kanpur 3,05,658 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 4,38,315, Agra 3,60,000, Varanasi 2,03,416, Allahabad 2,00,455, Bareilly (6 days) 99,536, Dehradun 1,82,000, 1st week Jaunpur 1,05,000; 2nd week Calcutta 14,37,782 from 12 cinemas; Nagpur 2,89,147 from 2 cinemas, Amravati 1,34,610, Akola 1,01,313, total 3,16,683, Raipur (6 days) 1,10,052, Durg 81,637, Jalgaon 1,32,624 (1st 2,46,161), Wardha 32,511; Indore 1,08,972 (2 on F.H.); Jaipur 4,32,047 (57.19%) from 2 cinemas, Ajmer (gross) 2,26,562, Bikaner 1,52,552; Hyderabad (gross) 9,72,787 from 3 cinemas (1 in noon).
Kyo Kii… Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta is steady in U.P. 2nd week Bombay 23,85,722 (49.02%) from 8 cinemas (9 on F.H.), total for 2 weeks 63,83,129; Jamnagar 78,645 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Pune 5,59,558 from 3 cinemas, Solapur (matinee) 53,705; Bijapur 54,787; Delhi 23,88,601 from 9 cinemas (3 on F.H.); Kanpur 2,82,648 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 3,74,190, Agra 2,22,000, Varanasi 1,25,366, Allahabad 1,21,327, Bareilly (6 days) 67,409, Dehradun 93,797, Jaunpur 20,000; Calcutta 5,04,705 from 4 cinemas; Nagpur 1,86,300 from 2 cinemas, Amravati 1,03,289, Akola 1,04,758, total 2,61,141, Raipur (6 days) 59,502, Jalgaon 75,055 (1st 1,16,257), 1st week Gondia 80,458, Wardha 53,495, 2nd week Yavatmal 40,943 (1st 76,499); Indore 93,300 (3 on F.H.); Jaipur 1,44,856 (23.97%), Ajmer 49,568; Hyderabad (gross) 4,11,563.
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Nayak 4th week Bombay 9,02,266 (40.04%) from 5 cinemas (7 on F.H.), total for 4 weeks 1,05,73,691; Ahmedabad 2,57,862 from 2 cinemas, Rajkot 74,000; Pune 1,92,255 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 1,11,011; Kanpur 1,10,701 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 1,58,278, Varanasi 60,859, Allahabad 65,733, Bareilly 35,927, Dehradun 38,284, Jaunpur 18,411, total 1,83,548; Calcutta 1,07,768; Nagpur 1,17,688 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 30,060, Amravati 1,07,359, Akola 61,594, total 5,29,425, Dhule 55,725, total 4,28,030, Raipur (6 days) 71,736, Jalgaon 84,111 (3rd 96,928), Wardha (5 days) 21,956, Chandrapur 93,178, total 6,78,263, Yavatmal (4 days) 24,727; Jaipur 98,352 (17.75%); Hyderabad (gross) 2,51,486 (1 on F.H.).
Lajja 5th week Bombay 3,67,362 (31.55%; 5 on F.H.), total for 5 weeks 1,33,41,381; Ahmedabad 62,561 from 2 cinemas (4 unrecd.), Rajkot (matinee) 11,870; Pune 2,51,433 from 3 cinemas, Solapur 27,200; Delhi 2,23,665; Kanpur 94,673 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 2,13,142, Varanasi 70,954, Allahabad 54,000, Bareilly (6 days) 21,000; Calcutta 68,177; Nagpur 1,10,490 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 88,151, Amravati 83,497, Akola 53,869, total 6,24,110, Raipur (6 days) 1,00,506, Jalgaon 51,800, total 5,68,189; Jaipur 5,29,877 (62.57%); Hyderabad (gross) 1,87,895.
Gadar Ek Prem Katha 16th week Bombay 2,19,625 (32%), total for 16 weeks 5,96,87,826; Pune 83,031, Solapur 26,200; Delhi (TF) 16,24,817 from 8 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,24,469 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 2,10,125, Agra 58,000, Varanasi 54,686, Allahabad 12,352, Bareilly 28,000; Nagpur 47,310, Jabalpur (6 days) 63,230; Indore 52,053, Bhopal 63,000; Hyderabad (gross, noon) 32,008.
PAHLAJ NIHALANI RE-ELECTED AMPTPP PRESIDENT
Pahlaj Nihalani was re-elected president of the Association of Motion Pictures & TV Programme Producers at the first meeting of its new governing council, held on 29th September in Bombay. Shyam Benegal, Shabnam Kapoor, Gordhan Tanwani and Mahesh Kothare were elected vice presidents. Kamal Kumar Barjatya and Yash Johar were elected honorary treasurers, while Ratan Jain and Jimmy Nirula were elected honorary general secretaries.
Earlier, at the 10th annual general meeting of the AMPTPP, the following members were also elected to the governing council:- Ramesh Sippy, Ramesh Taurani, Manmohan Shetty, Manish Goswami, Salim Akhtar, Harmesh Malhotra, Subroto Bose, Jhamu Sughand, Babubahi Thiba, Subhash Ghai, Sushil Kumar Agarwal, G.P. Sippy, N. Chandra, Vashu Bhagnani, N.D. Kothari, Markand Adhikari and Zafar Abid.
ENTRY DATE EXTENDED FOR V. SHANTARAM AWARDS
The date for sending entries for the V. Shantaram Awards for the years 1997 to 2000 has been extended to 10th October. Forms for the entries can be collected from Rajkamal Studio, Parel, Bombay or from the offices of the film associations.
SAMRAT KHAN PATHAN DEAD
Samrat Khan Pathan (Khan Sahab), owner of Shalimar Cinema, Shahalam (Ahmedabad), expired on 30th September in Ahmedabad.
AHMEDABAD EXHIBITORS DECRY AMC’S
HIGH-HANDEDNESS
The Ahmedabad Theatre Owners Association has issued a public statement, clarifying its stand in the wake of news reports which state that the city municipal corporation is contemplating taking stern action against nine local cinemas for failure to pay property taxes. According to news reports, the cinemas viz. Shree, Natraj, Shiv, Roopalee, Rupam, Ashok, Advance, Relief and Kamal owe the AMC a total of Rs. 3.28 crore by way of property taxes.
According to a newspaper advertisement, issued on 21st September by the ATOA, collector Z.A. Sancha has assessed the taxes in an arbitrary manner. The Association claims that over the last two years, the municipal commissioner repeatedly declined to allow the cinema owners to plead their case in person. Moreover, the municipal corporation cut off water supply and sewage connections in various cinemas for non-payment of taxes, besides issuing public notices naming the defaulting cinemas. The cinema owners have had to suffer loss of reputation due to the AMC’s pathetic attitude, states the Association.
After much persuasion by the cinema owners, the commissioner finally consented to meet them on 14th September. However, at the outset of the meeting, claims the Association, the commissioner gave a taste of his high-handedness by declaring that he alone had the authority to decide on the matter and that he would not consider the opinions of either Ahmedabad mayor Himmat Sinh or the chairman of the tax committee. According to the cinema owners, the commissioner gave them an ultimatum to pay a reduced amount of Rs. 1.40 crore as tax or face action, at the meeting. The meeting had to be called off abruptly when the official called exhibitor Biharilal Shah a criminal in reaction to the latter’s appeal for an equitable application of the existing tax laws, concludes the Association’s statement.
TAX EXEMPTION FOR ‘VEER SAVARKAR’
Veer Savarkar, produced by Savarkar Darshan Pratishthan, has been exempted from entertainment tax in Maharashtra.
‘JODI NO. 1’ SILVER JUBILEE
Time Films International’s Jodi No. 1 completed a combined silver jubilee run at Naaz (matinee), Bombay this week. Produced by Dhirajlal Shah, it is directed and edited by David Dhawan. It stars Sanjay Dutt, Govinda, Twinkle Khanna, Monica Bedi, Anupam Kher, Ashish Vidyarthi, Mukesh Rishi, Sayaji Shinde and Shakti Kapoor, with Rajat Bedi and Pooja Batra in special appearances. It has story-screenplay by Yunus Sejawal and Imtiaz Patel, and dialogue by Rumi Jafri. Lyrics: Dev Kohli, Sudhakar Sharma and Pratik Joseph. Music: Anand Raaj Anand.
‘ALBELA’ SILVER JUBILEE
Tips Films’ Albela entered 25th combined week of its run at Edward, Bombay on 5th October. Directed by Deepak Sareen for producers Kumar Taurani and Ramesh Taurani, the film has story-screenplay by Honey Irani, and dialogues by Javed Siddiqi. It stars Jackie Shroff, Govinda, Aishwarya Rai, Namrata Shirodkar and Saeed Jaffrey. It has music by Jatin Lalit and lyrics by Sameer.
AMPTPP UP IN ARMS AGAINST NEW TAX
RESOLVES NOT TO PAY ST ON COPYRIGHT
In an important development, the AMPTPP has passed a resolution whereby none of its producer-members will pay a single paisa by way of sales tax on copyright, to the Maharashtra government. It may be recalled that the Maharashtra government’s recent decision to levy sales tax on all transactions of transfer of copyright has come under heavy fire from the film industry. The AMPTPP’s resolution was passed during its 10th annual general meeting, held in Bombay on 29th September. It was also decided that in the event of the Maharashtra government pursuing with the imposition of the new tax, the AMPTPP will urge its members to shift the entertainment industry to another state.
Among the other resolutions passed at the meeting were:
(i) To persuade Maharashtra government to reduce entertainment tax to 15%;
(ii) to not deliver any film to members of the Orissa syndicate because the syndicate insists, its members will buy films on outright basis only;
(iii) to act on a priority basis on complaints of non-payment by TV channels to producers;
(iv) to take up registration of concepts, stories and scripts etc. in favour of its members;
(v) to ratify the arrangement with the Indian Music Industry in order to stop illegal telecast of films and TV serials, and song clippings on satellite channels;
(vi) to not align with any other body in its day-to-day functioning; and
(vii) to implement the member-to-member arrangement with the Federation of Western India Cine Employees.
AMPTPP PERSUADES FILM CITY TO LOWER CHARGES
The Film City authorities have bowed down to the AMPTPP’s demand for lower charges for shooting. Under the revised rates, the producers will be charged a flat sum of Rs. 8,000 per day for shooting at any location at the Film City. Moreover, producers of 16mm Hindi films as well as of regional films will be given a 25% discount on the charges. The new rates will be applicable on 24-hour basis only if the producer makes a specific booking of a location. In case the producer chooses to use only the available location (without booking any specific location), he will be given 25% discount on the charges.
DO YOU KNOW?
* THE CBFC seems to be having a problem with Tarzan films. The third revised version of LADY TARZAN has been refused certificate. Another film, JUNGLEE TARZAN, has been refused certificate by the revising committee. But ‘Night’ films have had a clear passage in recent times. HER NIGHTS and DARK NIGHT (revised version) were both passed for adults this week.
* Rakesh Roshan’s KOI MIL GAYA will be launched with a song recording this month.
3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment
Entertainment Tax In Maharashtra
The total annual entertainment tax collected by the Maharashtra government has more than doubled in the past seven years. While the total recovery was Rs. 80.21 crore in 1994-95, the figure rose to Rs. 179.02 crore in 2000-2001. A total of Rs. 860.97 crore has been collected by the revenue department as entertainment tax in the 1994-2001 period, against a total budget estimate of Rs. 890.50 crore. In the current financial year, the recovery of entertainment tax stands at Rs. 77.18 crore in the April-August period, as against the annual budget estimate of Rs. 206.08 crore.
The year-wise break-up of entertainment tax collection:- 1994-95 – Rs. 80.21 crore; 1995-96 – Rs. 88.73 crore; 1996-97 – Rs. 100.02 crore; 1997-98 – Rs. 123.76; 1998-99 – Rs. 134.46 crore; 1999-2000 – Rs. 154.77 crore; 2000-2001 – Rs. 179.02 crore.
Entertainment Tax From Cable TV Operators
The Maharashtra government may not be very adept at keeping cable piracy in check, but it sure knows how to recover entertainment duty from the cable operators. The state government’s recovery of entertainment duty from cable television operators has more than trebled in the past three years! In rupee terms, the government has collected a whopping Rs. 36.11 crore from cable operators catering to over 17 lakh connections in the year 2000-2001. The figure stood at Rs. 12.82 crore (10.5 lakh connections) in the previous year. In 1998-99, the tax collection was Rs. 11.02 crore (9.57 lakh cable connections).
Producers, Distributors, Beware!
Producers are treading a dangerous path by announcing so many releases this Diwali. They must understand that this Diwali will not be like the Diwali of earlier years because the advantage, to the box-office, of the festival of lights will, to an extent, be offset by Ramzam. Still, there are at least half a dozen films lined up for release on 16th November: Boney’s Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche, Vashu’s Deewanapan, Babloo Pachisia’s Tera Mera Saath Rahen, Tutu’s Khullam Khulla Pyar Karenge, Kamal Haasan’s Abhay, and Sudhir Phadke’s Veer Savarkar. Phew!
Musical Notes
The highest-selling music album of this year is Lagaan. Next on the list is Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai. Audio sales of Gadar picked up phenomenally after the film became a blockbuster. Otherwise, the pre-release sale of Gadar music was quite dull. Music of Lagaan also picked up after the film’s release. Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai started on a slow note but once the Rabba mere Rabba song was aired on trailers in satellite channels, the album sold like hot cakes. Another album which did brisk business in 2001, although it was released in 2000, was Mohabbatein. Despite the hit Bumbro song, Tips lost a lot of money in the music of Mission Kashmir. It also lost heavily in the music of Yaadein….
Yeh Topical Hai
Anand Raaj Anand’s music in Yeh Mohabbat Hai is quite melodious. Although the film, directed by Umesh Mehra, stars newcomer Akanksha and Rahul Bhat, corners have not been cut in the song picturisations. The film, according to Prem Kishen and Umesh Mehra (two of the three producers, the third being Sunil Mehta), is topical because it is a love story against the backdrop of terrorism.
SHOOTING COVERAGE
ESCAPE TO FREEDOM
The scorching heat (38 degrees Celsius) and the miles and miles of sand land at Jaisalmer in the desert state of Rajasthan couldn’t have got worse. The reflectors only add to the misery of the unit engaged in the picturisation of an action scene, no less! Imagine Shah Rukh Khan having to fight goons with lathis, roll in the burning sand, ‘bleed’ because of being shot at…. And Karisma Kapoor having to run in the desert terrain, with her 3-year-old child in her arms, bleeding in the face, looking tired and scared and with only Shah Rukh and hope on her side. She has to escape from her villainous father-in-law (played by Nana Patekar) from a village (which Jaisalmer is supposed to be) even as another gang of villains is trying to kill her and her little son because the tiny tot’s grandfather had killed their leader’s son. The gang leader’s son had been done away with by Nana because his own son (Karisma Kapoor’s husband, played by Sanjay Kapoor) had been gunned down by the gang leader. Family feud, you see. Phew! Is that too much of maara-maari? That’s exactly why Karisma wants to flee the village. She doesn’t want her son to grow up to become a gang leader like her pa-in-law who only understands the language of guns and goons. And so, the lady is trying to board a train to wherever it can take her, in her escape from the wily villains, the sound of gun-shots and the land where the law of the jungle still prevails.
WELCOME TO THE HEAT & DUST
That’s Boney Kapoor’s untitled production venture being shot in the desert region of Jaisalmer. Despite the heat and dust, Shah Rukh, Karisma and director Vamsi (who had also directed the original Telugu hit, Anthapuram, of which Boney’s film is a remake) are cool as cucumbers and never miss an opportunity to crack jokes on the sets. Like when Boney Kapoor comes on the set in the afternoon, having obviously overslept in the comfort of his airconditioned hotel room, Shah Rukh, who has been shooting since 8 a.m., says with a straight face, “Welcome, Boney-ji, you look very tired. You’ve been working very hard, I think.” Or, when it is time for Boney to depart for Bombay, leaving the unit, including Khan, Kapoor and the others to the care of his executive producer, Trilok Malhotra, Shah Rukh jokes, “Boney-ji, you’ve pampered me so much that I’m a spoilt actor now. I’ve always come to the location with you and returned to Bombay with you. How can you leave without me? My wife just telephoned to say, ‘Jaisalmer is a border area and with the fear of a war breaking out, go where Boney goes. If he laves for Bombay, it means, it is not safe to stay back in Jaisalmer. So you too leave with Boney.’ I’m coming with you, Boney-ji.”
Karisma Kapoor, like Shah Rukh, is in a fantastic mood. She welcomes a newcomer, like yours truly, on the sets with a warm smile (nothing to do with the temperature) and the words, “Welcome to the heat and dust.”
OH! FOUR!!
Jokes apart, Boney has to leave for Bombay as the shooting of his other film, Khushi, starring Fardeen Khan and Kareena Kapoor, is in progress there. There’s also the post-production work of Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche that is on in full swing, not to talk of the shooting of Boney’s fourth venture, Company, which he is making jointly with Ram Gopal Varma. Gosh! Four at a time, that’s Boney for you, or B4U!
DREAM BOY SHAH RUKH
Coming back to the untitled film. Besides cracking of jokes, there’s plenty of work also being done, what with shooting beginning at the crack of dawn or almost so, every day and going on up to 10 and 11 p.m. sometimes. So fast is work progressing that after this film, Boney may well join the list of producers who complete their films fast. For, this film was started in February 2001 at Khejarla, near Jodhpur, and, after eight months, all that remains to complete the shooting is, as Boney informs, “one song on Shah Rukh Khan, and a couple of scenes.” Incidentally, Shah Rukh makes a special appearance in the film. His entry is at a very crucial stage in the film. He plays a Bihari who is always in an inebriated state and who lives with the dream of going to Dubai. When he is not day-dreaming about Dubai, he dreams of spending quality time with beauty queen Aishwarya Rai. Shah Rukh’s dialogues, spoken in Bihari accent, are fun to hear. Trust the guy to add his two bits in the dialogues. Like, for instance, when Karisma’s train chugs out of the railway station, Shah Rukh mutters, “Aaj train time par ja rahi hai, phaar (for) a change!” Or when he bids adieu to the train, he says, “O.K., tata, bye-bye,” and adds impromptu, “Horn pleaje (please),” to sound like the message written on the back of trucks on the roads.
Talking about his character, Shah Rukh explains, “I play a person without any emotions whatsoever. I help Karisma escape only because she gives me dollars which will help me realise my dream of going to Dubai. It is not as if I feel sorry for her or her three-year-old child. I don’t even look at the child, so heartless am I.”
“SRIDEVI DESERVES THE BEST”
Shah Rukh’s reason for doing the special appearance role in the film is quite noble and thoughtful. Says the top actor, “Kajol was to have earlier played the heroine in the film and it is she who told me to do the film. Karan (Johar) also liked my role and goaded me into doing it. But what actually prompted me to accept the offer is that the film is the first production venture of Sridevi whom I admire as an actress. I feel, after having given so much to the industry for so many years, she deserves to have the best in her film. I couldn’t say ‘no’ to her when she approached me.”
BLOOD AND SWEAT
In the original version, Nana Patekar’s role was essayed by Prakash Raj, for which the actor bagged the National Award for the best performance in a supporting role. Director Vamsi wanted Prakash Raj to do a small role in the Hindi remake too and so you have the South film actor, clad in jeans, fighting it out with Shah Rukh. Prakash Raj plays a contract killer in Boney’s film. In one fight sequence, Shah Rukh’s stick hits the award-winning actor under his left eye so hard that he begins to bleed. This blood is for real, the doctor is called and he recommends stitches. Action director Alan Amin intervenes, “Doctor, I shall not allow stitches to be administered. He will be alright after a while. At the most, you may give him an antiseptic injection,” Sure enough, Alan’s recommendation works and the flowing blood from Prakash’s vein reduces to a trickle! The actor comments in a lighter vein, “So, I too have given my blood for this film.” Make that blood and sweat! Alan Amin, who has supervised the action sequences in a number of Hollywood films, besides Hindi films, explains later that he is himself a half-doctor, having done stunts for so many films. Vamsi reveals, “Shah Rukh had a sixth sense that he may inadvertently hurt Prakash Raj. In fact, just minutes before his stick hit Prakash, Shah Rukh had told him to be careful as he was scared, his stick may injure the actor.”
SHAH RUKH’S ‘BONE’Y PROBLEM
Just a day before Prakash Raj was injured, Shah Rukh had hurt two fingers of his left hand when they were caught on the window sill of the train on which they were picturising the action scene, with the window coming crashing down on them. The doctor had to bandage the swollen fingers. The actor was in pain but managed to do his stunts with the injured fingers. Every morning thereafter, his make-up man had to apply make-up on the white bandages also, colouring them to match the actor’s skin tone. The pain persisted all through Shah Rukh’s stay there. “I think, there’s a problem with the bone of the middle finger,” said Shah Rukh. A ‘bone’y problem, this! The actor then revealed how he had hurt every part of his body during shootings. “I never feel pain at the time I get injured,” he explained, adding, “which is why my injuries get aggravated.”
NANA’S HAAN-HAAN
Coming back to the role that fetched Prakash Raj a National Award. Nana Patekar is quite sure, the film can get him also a National Award. In fact, that may have been the reason for Nana’s haan-haan for the role. Not just an award, the talented actor, after his shooting at Khejarla (near Jodhpur), also gave an indication of his confidence in the film itself when he wrote in Boney’s diary, ‘Pannas saptah’, implying thereby that he thought, the film had the merits to enjoy a fifty-week run in cinemas. Nana has some firebrand dialogues in the film, penned by his favourite writer these days, Kamal Pandey. Isn’t Kamal apprehensive of the censors? Pat comes the reply, “Nana’s character is such that he can only speak rough language. He is a man of the soil, uneducated and uncouth.”
THREE GENERATIONS
Sanjay Kapoor plays the educated son of the uneducated Nana and the docile Deepti Naval. Docile she may be in the film but the actress is bold and brash in real life. While at Khejarla in March, she hurt her lower lip in a car accident, and found it difficult to laugh or even smile. Thank God, Shah Rukh wasn’t around when Deepti was shooting.
Three-year-old Jai Gidwani plays Sanjay and Karisma’s son in the film. The cute child bears a striking resemblance to Karisma; he even has green eyes like the actress. “Yeah, he looks so much like me,” agrees Karisma. The child is the unit’s darling, at both, Khejarla and Jaisalmer. In the Jaisalmer stint, Karisma is required to run with the kid in her arms. Says she, “I used to joke with Jai, telling him to go on a diet because it was difficult to run in the sand with him in my arms. Poor child, he used to tell his guardians, ‘Karisma aunty told me not to eat.’ The kid was quite traumatised when Nana used force to stop Karisma from running away. He used to start crying for real at Khejarla. Then, he would go around, telling one and all, “Mujhe chup karao!”
Jai had company in Boney and Sridevi’s daughter, Jahnvi, during the first shooting schedule at Khejarla. Jahnvi’s birthday had been celebrated on the film’s set with the cutting of a huge cake. In all probability, Jahnvi will cut her next birthday cake to coincide with the film’s release next March. Nana is due to start his dubbing shortly. But before the release, the film will have to be titled. Boney, Sridevi and director Vamsi are frantically in search of a suitable title. Vamsi explains, “The title should speak of a woman’s power. The story is about the victory of a woman in her fight to save her child from the evil influence of her father-in-law.” Any suggestions?
SMILES AND TEARS
In the film, if Karisma and the child’s emotions manage to strike a chord in people’s hearts, it will be difficult to stop them from crying in the cinema halls. But the film is not just a weepy story. To try and make it a wholesome entertainer, the makers have added a comedy track with Jaspal Bhatti and Tiku Talsania. Well, they may also have to add one scene with Shah Rukh Khan. The suggestion has come from Khan himself. Revealed Boney in Bombay, “Shah Rukh feels, we must shoot one more scene with him. Although he is playing a special appearance, look at his involvement. Otherwise, why would he have suggested anything to us? I am very impressed with his sincerity.”
LIVING THE MOMENT
Shah Rukh himself says about his acting, “I try to live that moment while I am acting. I don’t like to rehearse too much. I am appalled when I see some actors give so much importance to how they look or how their hair are even in an emotional scene in which the audience won’t be bothered about anything but the performance. Such actors lose out on the scene because of their priorities lying elsewhere.”
GOODBYE TO THE HEAT & DUST
After the shooting on 27th October, Shah Rukh’s priority is to be driven from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur in time to board the flight to Delhi and from there, to hop on to a connecting flight to Bombay. Even as he is preoccupied with the release plans of his Asoka, he wonders what an appropriate title for Sridevi’s film can be. The thinking mind never rests.