A proposal, a refusal

Ronjita Kulkarni

Kamal Amrohi Studios, Mumbai, is abuzz.

A colourful shamiana greets us -- this is where the mahurat of Raman Kumar's Wah Wah Ramji will take place.

On the stage is a flower-bedecked name of the film. Facing the stage at the other end is male lead Amar Upadhyay chatting with the press.

Wearing a shimmering black and gray salwar-kameez, the female lead Reema Sen leads her little sister and mother to their allotted seats. Reema's last film Hum Ho Gaye Aapke (opposite Fardeen Khan) didn't find success at the box office.

The other members of the cast -- Gulshan Grover, Avtar Gill and Rakesh Bedi -- huddle together in a corner. But Paresh Rawal, who plays a pivotal part in the film, is absent today.

Wah Wah Ramji is about a novelist Ramprasad (Paresh Rawal), who loves writing mysteries. He and Amar get involved in some mysterious circumstances. Says Amar, "The film is a romantic comedy. I play a rich but straightforward man who hates girls. Reema is a wild kid. We have hated each other since childhood. We fall in love later."

Amar and Raman Kumar worked earlier in Aur Phir (with Bipasha Basu), but the project got shelved. So when Kumar got another script, he turned to Amar again.

Raman Kumar, a big name on television, with serials like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi and Tara. He has also directed films like Saath Saath and Raahee.

Reema and Amar face each other, as she says, "Shaadi aur tumse? Kabhi nahin! [I will never marry you]." Amar responds angrily that he would rather die than marry her.

As they squabble, Gulshan Grover, Avtar Gill and Rakesh Bedi close in on then and exclaim, "Wah Wah Ramji, jodi kya banai hai [What a pair]!"

The cameras take over. Amar's toddler also features in some of the photographs. Anand Raj Anand scores the music to Dev Kohli's lyrics. Arc Entertainment Private Limited is the banner.

Shooting for Wah Wah Ramji will commence from January 17.