Subhash K Jha

"Come over to Kamalistan, na?" Akshay Kumar is adamant.

I am a little apprehensive. I know Amitabh Bachchan will be shooting along with him. I also know he hates distractions while he is working.

But Akshay is keen. So off I go to the sprawling acres of the legendary Kamal Amrohi's Kamalistan Studios in Mumbai.

From a distance, I see a makeshift set representing a railway station. Bachchan, in a black outfit, is flanked by Akshay (in red) and Arjun Rampal (in orange). They are in a deep discussion with someone who looks like he is just out of high school.

He happens to be director Vipul Shah. Aankhen, his first feature film comes after consistent and comprehensive work on Gujarati stage. The film is a screen version of one of Vipul's most successful plays. I congratulate Shah on his newborn. "Yeah, Shefali [actress Shefali Shetty] and I had a baby boy," Vipul blushes.

There are two new papas on the sets. Arjun Rampal needs no excuse to sparkle and hold forth on his daughter. "My life has changed since she came into our lives. This morning my wife [model Mehr Jessia] left the baby in my arms. She responds to me, you know," the proud Papa reveals. "I just had no idea how time flew by. Fifteen minutes turned into half an hour and then 45 minutes."

Arjun's eyes fall on the vada-pavs and pakodas at a nearby stall. He asks the production boy whether the food is edible. "Get me one. I am famished," the supermodel digs into the streetside goodie without a care for oily calories.

"What are you eating all by yourself?" Bachchan calls across the sets to Arjun, who promptly walks over to the megastar with the plate outstretched. Seeing the oily stuff, the Big B politely declines.

Arjun shrugs at having missed the Best Debutant Award [Filmfare] to Tusshar Kapoor. These days, Arjun is as busy as a bee in spite of three flops. He has to leave later for a second shift, for Aishwarya Rai's home production, Dil Ka Rishta at R K Studios in Chembur.

Akshay has to leave for Jaipur for a schedule of Suneel Darshan's Talaash. Both the heroes urge the director to get on with the show while the producer Gaurang Doshi looks around the sets anxiously. His father, veteran producer Vinod Doshi, is also on the sets. The younger Doshi admonishes the elder when the twinkle-eyed old man bites into a vada.

They are doing a patchwork scene for the credit titles. Only the Big B seems completely calm and relaxed. He has masti on his mind. He ribs the producer mercilessly for not sending him flowers for winning the Filmfare Award.

Akshay joins in. "Sir, he didn't send me any flowers for winning the Filmfare Award either. And he didn't visit Arjun when he had a baby either. Nor has he ordered food for lunch."

Bachchan mock admonishes the young producer.

Gaurang is close to tears. Actor-turned-director Anant Mahdevan who has dropped in, advises the producer not to take everything so seriously. "If I didn't, I would not have been able to complete my film," says Gaurang.

I ask the Big B if he is wearing black to remain in his negative character. The Big B smiles. I talk about how wonderful it would be to see him on screen with Sushmita Sen. "But she is not paired with me. She is with Arjun. We don't have that many scenes together."

I observe this is the first film where the Big B plays a blind man. "Well, yes. But in Manmohan Desai's Parvarish, I was blind for a portion of the film," he points out.

The shot is simple enough. Akshay and Arjun, two blind migrants, arrive on the train. On the platform, they touch the guns tucked in their trousers. Amitabh Bachchan, who is standing at a magazine stall, turns around and walks slowly towards the stationary train. Before doing so he asks his Jeeves for his blind man's glasses. Akshay and Arjun ask for the mirrors.

The shot is on. Coolies and passengers stroll casually in camera range to simulate the feeling on a railway platform. It is a simple enough shot. But since someone or the other keeps goofing up, several retakes are required.

Arjun rushes back to the video monitor to look at the results while Akshay prefers to chat with me. We look on as a distinguished looking old man approaches Bachchan, grumbles that the megastar never replied to his letter and all but weeps as the celluloid god makes small talk.

"Now that's what I call real stardom," sighs Akshay.