Tusshar meets lost love Esha

Sapna Rai

It's stuffy inside Chetan Studios, in Mumbai's northwestern suburb of Andheri.

Amidst loud, whirring fans and the heat of the arclights, choreographer Saroj Khan sweats it out. "One, two, three --- aise [like this]!" she yells at her group of dancers.

She returns to the television monitor to watch them dance, and her assistants take over. Even as the 'extras' with their tattooed arms and shiny salwar-kameezes shake their legs to the shaadi number, debutante Anita joins them.

We are on the sets [yesteryear star Jeetendra's wife] Shobha and [daughter] Ekta Kapoor's film Kya Pyar Karoge Mujhse. Directed by first-timer Anurag Basu, this Tusshar Kapoor and Esha Deol starrer is a romantic thriller. Basu has earlier directed thrillers on television.

Kya Pyar Karoge Mujhse is Anita's first Hindi film (she has worked in Ekta's soap Kabhi Souten Kabhi Saheli, and the popular Telugu film Nuvvu Nenu, which recently won a Filmfare Award). Veterans Jeetendra and Rishi Kapoor put in special appearances.

Esha, in a flaming red, orange and pink chaniya choli with a fancy hairdo and pretty Kundan jewellery, is in the wings with a girlfriend, waiting for her cue.

Tusshar in a [designer] Sabina Khan beige and gold ensemble, is eager for some action. He joins Anita. "We are at the wedding of a college mate," Tusshar explains. "Anita, Esha and I were in the same college. We go our ways after college. We now meet after three years. This romantic thriller is set in two time frames. The first half has us as a group in college, while the second half is three years later when we have matured. I have changed my hairstyle to differentiate between the two time frames."

In between shots, Saroj Khan tells us about Esha. Saroj had once directed Esha's mother, yesteryear screen idol Hema Malini. "It is just as easy to make Esha dance as it was with her mother. Initially, she was awkward but gradually she shed her inhibitions. I directed Hemaji for many numbers, one of the first ones being Morni o morni, main jungle ki morni, from Pratigya (starring Dharmendra and Hema Malini).

"I also worked with Esha for Tune dil se mujhe kyon pukara, which appears in Na Tum Jaano Na Hum. Both mother and daughter have a flair for Indian classical dancing. They need some more time to pick up Western dance. But both are equally graceful," she smiles. Esha, oblivious to our conversation, watches Tusshar and Anita dance.

At lunch break, director Basu sits down to chat. Esha's character is that of this "real hot thing" in college who later changes her perspective on life thanks to an incident that changes her. The basic story idea is Ekta's, so Basu jokingly says, "If you want to know more about the story, Ekta will tell you. Directing a film has always been a dream for me, and I am glad it's finally happening.

"Since my forte is thrillers, people feel I am more comfortable with that genre. But I have also worked on family dramas like Kalash and Koshish -- Ek Aasha. I'm thrilled that Jeetendraji and Rishiji are part of the film. Jeetendraji plays Tusshar's dad while Rishi will be seen as a college professor," adds Basu.

Anita, who has acted in Telugu and Tamil films, has been roped in to play the female lead in the remake of her own film, Nuvvu Nenu opposite Tusshar. "That is a fantastic role, very performance oriented. It is a violent love story, where I play a milkman's daughter. So there is no makeup, just simple salwar-kurtas. The film was a huge hit in the South. And I hope the Hindi film audiences take to it, too.

"As for this film," Anita continues, "it's a brief role but I will make an impact. My role is significant; I know I will be noticed."

India News Feature Service