Just Friends

It’s quite simple really. In Bollywood, certain people like to work with certain people and the others better understand. The lines are well defined and no apologies are tendered for adhering to them. It’s not quite politics, more a cosy ‘‘we’’ feeling.

But please don’t call them camps. Acceptable terms include ‘friends’ circle’, ‘like-minded people’, ‘almost family’ or ‘comfort zone’.

So Sanjay Dutt’s circle includes Suniel Shetty, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sanjay Gupta and Nitin Manmohan. This clique is into sharing stuff: dirty jokes, naughty SMSes, family holidays and business ventures. Dutt and Gupta have even formed White Feather Films which churned out Kaante (with Shetty, Dutt and Manjrekar). Shetty, Manmohan and Dutt, meanwhile, have begun Foursome Productions. Shetty and Dutt will also act in Mani Shankar’s Tango Charlie produced by Manmohan. The duo has also tied up to make SS (Sanjay and Suniel) sunglasses.

Yet Shetty won’t use the ‘C’ word. ‘‘There is no camp and there never can be. All of us share a fantastic relationship and want to do maximum work with each other.’’ About the business ventures, Shetty says that when you spend so much time with a particular set, you ‘‘want to grow together’’.

Dutt agrees. ‘‘Life is so much better if you work with like-minded people who are always eager to help.’’ He says his pals are always by his side… even if he is shooting for another production house. So Sanjay Gupta (or Gups) was a fixture on the Pune sets of Raman Kumar’s Sarhad Paar starring Dutt.

In SRK’s universe, work and play have one set in common: Yash and Aditya Chopra, Yash and Karan Johar, Farah Khan, Manish Malhotra, Aziz Mirza and Juhi Chawla. But even he doesn’t think he has a clique. ‘‘Since the last few years, it’s just happened that five to six of my friends are making films with me. We have never compromised on professional standards.’’

SRK says the numero uno spot won’t be his forever. ‘‘I know Karan says he will never make a film without me, but he is still young. One day I’ll probably tell him this king doesn’t sell anymore, so you have to take a new prince.’’

Johar is more open about his attachment. ‘‘Do you have a camp with your father or brother? Shah Rukh is family. I’ve worked with Salman, Hrithik and Saif, too.’’ Sure, but all played second fiddle in SRK movies.

Much like their reel escapades, the Johar-SRK camp also has the makings of an interesting triangle in real life. Rani Mukerji after Chalte Chalte and Preity Zinta after Kal Ho Naa Ho are both in the reckoning as camp queen now that Kajol’s concentrating on being a mum. Recently a magazine carried an article on Johar—the cover, featuring him, Mukerji and SRK. Why leave out Zinta, the heroine of Kal Ho Naa Ho?

Zinta dodges it by saying, ‘‘They wanted me but I could not make the time.’’ Mukerji claims, ‘‘Karan called me and I agreed.’’ Johar, meanwhile, plays it safe. ‘‘They wanted Kajol but she wasn’t available. Rani has done three films with me, so it had to be her.’’ For the record, both Zinta and Mukerji are in Yash Chopra’s next film with SRK.

There’s no such ambiguity in the Salman Khan camp these days. The actor is, once again, the clear favourite of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Sajid Nadiadwala, David Dhawan, Himmesh Reshammiya and Sooraj Barjatya. Old faithfuls Bhansali and Barjatya who picked SRK (Devdas) and Roshan (Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon) after the messy Khan-Aishwarya Rai split, are pledging solidarity again.

‘‘It’s a cycle… people go away and then they come back. I am happy to be working with my friends,’’ says Khan who created a stir when Bhansali chose him over Rai for Bajirao Mastani, after the latter declared she would not work with Salman.

Incidentally, Bhansali’s decision to cast Khan came as bad news to costume designer Neeta Lulla, a member of Rai’s growing-by-the-day camp. Five years ago, Lulla became the first designer with a mention on the film poster (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam). Bhansali was so impressed with her work, he just had to do this. Lulla also won a National Award for Devdas. Now Bhansali has opted for Kolkata’s rising star Sabyasachi Mukherjee in Bajirao Mastani.

Nadiadwala, who has produced Salman hits (Judwaa, Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega), and is currently making Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, agrees that he gives top billing to Khan. ‘‘If you call it a camp then it is one. Salman suits me best in romantic comedies. The way Johar thinks nobody can be a better Rahul than SRK, I think Salman is the best Prem in Bollywood,’’ he chuckles.

Music man Reshammiya is ready to lay down his life for Khan who’s ‘‘no less than God.’’ This has upset Anu Malik who not too long ago was a Salman regular. ‘‘I’m lucky for Salman. All the songs I’ve made for him are hits. God knows why he prefers to work with someone else these days,’’ says an emotional Malik.

Rai also got emotional when she was ousted from The Rising. Financier Sahara Parivar rapidly followed suit saying, ‘‘Aishwaryaji is family and we want to stand by her.’’ That’s a first ever in Bollywood where heroines usually have no clout whatsoever.

In fact Rai could soon be the first actress with her own camp. Included in her elite parivar are, of course, Sahara, Lulla, Rituparno Ghosh (after Chokher Bali, she is now in Ghosh’s first Hindi film Raincoat) and her pet squeeze Vivek Oberoi.

In such a star-studded show, it’s a relief to see two prominent camps which are driven by the makers. The Bhatt camp starring shrewd producer Mukesh, Mr-done-it-all Mahesh, once-golden-boy Vikram, new face Emraan Hashmi and dad’s- talented-daughter Pooja. In the same umbrella is Bollywood’s favourite maverick Ramgopal Varma who moves in the company of his assistants-turned-directors-turned-assistants Chandan Arora, Prawaal Raman, Sriram Raghavan, Shimit Amin, and, of course, Urmila Matondkar and Antara Mali.

The funda of not working with stars seems to work as the camps are able to churn out more than three films a year which run purely on the steam of their makers. ‘‘In the past, we’ve worked with Sanjay, Shah Rukh and Aamir but, these days, we can’t afford to. I can make two films with the money they charge for one,’’ says Pooja Bhatt.

Varma, who can always be relied on to give any issue a new spin says, ‘‘I’m open to working with anybody I need at that time. My camp is only my film.’’