Kareena’s Saif

Speaking about the movie Fahim Khan one of the lights men manning the huge moonlight,says,“The film we are shooting for here at the Government Agriculture College campus is Kurban. While we don’t know much about the plot of the film we do know that along with Saif Ali Khan,Kareena Kapoor is also present for the shoot. We have set up the lights owing to the cloudy skies,which apparently is not good for filming.” On being quizzed about the intricacies of the lighting systems he says,“We really don’t understand much about photography,light and the technical paraphernalia associated with it. When the head of photography says that we need the lights we switch them on else we switch them off.”

Moving on to the left wing of the main building where the action shifts,an eager looking crowd of ethnically unidentifiable children screams,on catching a glimpse of Khan before being shooed away by the security guards. Standing on the first floor of the building the actor waves back as the crowd erupts into an even louder cheer. Seven-year-old Vishal Kamble gives a toothed smile and says,“I walked all the way from my house in Shivajinagar along with my father to watch the actors shoot. Hopefully even Kareena will be there in one of the scenes later.” “I actually came to see her,” he adds sheepishly as an after thought.

Bad weather interrupts the shooting as the cameramen fuss over the light again. At the far end of the left wing on the terrace where the shot is being taken everyone speaks in hushed tones.The crowds however noisily hoot and pass comments about the actors ex-lives. Neha Chauhan one of the junior artistes who has come in all the way from Mumbai for the shoot quips,“ My scene just involved me walking past Saif Ali Khan on the ground floor during a shot. There is another scene wherein me and other extras who have been asked to fill in as college students will be cast. The wait between these scenes in the humid weather is definitely tiring but in its own queer way fun too.”

As raucous youngsters try to get fresh and yell remarks at the acting crew,Ajinkya Palkar,the crowd coordinator for the movie comes and sternly sends them away. Palkar says,“I am the coordinator for the extras from Pune and I also manage crowds. Even though there aren’t many people here today,sometimes it does get on our nerves to manage such people. And while the final movie that people see in the theaters appears as a magical world the process of shooting one isn’t exactly fun.”

As the weather clears out,the crowd gathers in wild anticipation as rumours float that a kissing scene is being shot. Kapoor stands on the terrace dressed in a blue outfit,as Khan comes and says something to her. There is hushed silence as people strain to hear the dialogues. Finally after a minute of inaudible talking Kapoor embraces Saif,and the director yells cut. The starry couple walk towards the crowd and wave out to them as they cheer on as though the national cricket team has lifted the World Cup. And somewhere in the background young Vishal claps his hand. His dream of seeing his favourite actress separated by two floors of concrete is complete and playing on his lips is a smile worth a million bucks.