Suddenly can take forever

In the meantime, the unit members have ample time to leisurely count hair on their arms, ponder existential questions and even write a thesis or two. quot;Now you understand why the film has taken so long to complete!quot; muses Naresh Malhotra, the director. Johnny Lever wholeheartedly agrees with him. He has arrived punctually at 9 am and has been hanging around in bermudasand a banian since then. quot;Savere se chaddi mein baithe hai,quot; he rues. Rawal isn8217;t so lucky 8212; he sports a heavy cream coloured coat and a heavier scowl.

But though Rawal shot for only 25 days in three years, he insists that the wait is going to be worthwhile. quot;We reign supreme in illogical things, but after a long time I am doing something very plausible, where there is no hahahoho kind of villaingiri,quot; he says. And Malhotra insists that Achanak is not a quot;typical Govinda-ishquot; film, neither is it a love story.

quot;It8217;s a unique combination of suspense, comedy, love and emotions,quot; he says. In fact, Lever plays a triple role! quot;Phir picture achcha hi hoga, na!quot; he emphatically states. And with Govinda around, the fireworks are sure to fly. quot;Our tuning is so good that when we are together, kuch ajib-o-garib hota hi hai,quot; he adds.At last, Govinda turns up. He is surrounded by five cops 8212; who are there to protect him against underworld threats. As if to rub salt on collectiveennui, Govinda jokes that the reason he is impossible to kill is that no one can predict what time he will turn up! When he steps out of the make-up van, all ready for the shot, Govinda is dressed in tight jeans, a red see-through lacy shirt, colourful scarf and blood streaming down his forehead.

The set is that of a plane crash site. Plywood props substitute for scattered bits and pieces. The camera rolls and Lever comes at top speed on a cycle and rams into the stuntman duplicating for Rawal. The next shot is a close-up of Rawal on the ground, grimacing in pain. Govinda comes running, pushes aside the villain8217;s sidekick, Dalip Tahil, grabs Rawal and the dishum-dishum begins in earnest.

However, the fight master, Tinnu Verma, is not happy. quot;There is no power in your fight, it8217;s very monotonous,quot; he declares. Verma displays his notion about quot;powerquot; by going up to Rawal8217;s duplicate and kicking him in the spleen. But he has been too powerful8217; 8212; the stuntman doubles up in pain and has to be carriedaway for marampatti.

The shoot resumes with Govinda pushing Rawal against a wall8217; of the plane, and giving him more than a piece of his mind. Egging him on is Verma with grisly commands: quot;Power! Zor dikhao, you have five cops with you8230;thobde pe maar, maar saale ko, maar8230;quot;

Providing relief is the comic tussle between Lever and Tahil, where he piggy backs Tahil and pins him down by jumping and lying spread-eagled on Tahil. Covering the fight is a cameraman chasing them. Another chap is capturing the action through a camera high on a crane. Soon Govinda is in such a flow that even the four people holding the wall8217; upright from the other side, are sweating from the strain.

And to keep Rawal and Govinda going, Verma has a neat trick up his sleeve. He makes the artistes redo the whole scene more than 10 times with the same promise, quot;This will be the last take! So do it well!quot; Soon, Rawal snaps at him. quot;Do it well? You mean the previous takes were bad?quot; Five minutes more and apanting Rawal declares that he is too tired and this time the quot;lastquot; shot better be last or else! But Verma has the last word 8212; he manages to wrangle three more takes out of Rawal and Govinda!