Waiting, waiting in vain

Vivek Vaswani yes, the television actor-cum-film producer is a brave man. He's also very enterprising. For his film Sar Ankhon Par, he has...

Vivek Vaswani yes, the television actor-cum-film producer is a brave man. He8217;s also very enterprising. For his film Sar Ankhon Par, he has managed to rope in the virtual who8217;s who of Bollywood 8212; from veterans like Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh to reigning star Shah Rukh Khan, and practically the entire film directory of wannabe stars. Loosely based on Anand, Rajesh Khanna8217;s blockbuster tear-jerker of the early 8217;70s, the film is about Sunday that8217;s what he8217;s called, a small-time actor whom the entire industry loves. Naturally, when Sunday played by Dilip Joshi who was also seen in Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! is counting his days in hospital 8212; he8217;s dying of cancer, what else 8212; everyone turns up to stand by him.

On a hot Sunday afternoon, the stars have also turned up at the newly constructed Siddharth Municipal hospital at Goregaon 8212; even before patients start checking in. Shammi Kapoor and Moushami Chatterjee hang out in their make-shift make-up rooms on the second floor while the younger stars 8211;Mukul and Rahul Dev, Salil Ankola, Sharad Kapoor, Rohit Roy along with N Chandra with his new dyed look loiter around on the ground floor and exchange pleasantries with each other.

Vaswani is already having a panic attack as his prize collection starts getting restless in the sweltering heat. The reason: the entire morning has gone by without a single shot being canned. Anyway, with little else to do, the stars dig into their food with gusto 8212; the only activity that has happened on schedule 8212; and settle down for the wait once again.

quot;The subject, the warmth, the delight of using the film industry as a backdrop is fascinating. I begged and pleaded with the stars and said to them: Love me, love my film8217;. And they all agreed. If the film fails and I run out of money, I might have to start making B-grade films,quot; says Vivek.Asha Parekh finally arrives and suddenly things speed up. The shot is ready on the first floor, where first-time director Gyan Sahay is marshalling his troops. quot;It8217;s a humourous filmfor most part because Sunday is a very jovial character. But it also gets very emotional 8212; I want my audience to choke up and cry,quot; says Sahay. Meanwhile, the stars have finally gathered in the massive whitewashed room and their first task is to pose for a group photograph 8212; with Kapoor and Parekh chatting nineteen to the dozen they flash their best smiles.

And finally the take. Sunday8217;s estranged son played by a new actor called Anuj is back to meet him on his deathbed. And all the stars and a crowd of extras gather around him, while Kapoor gives him a piece of his mind. Sahay asks everyone to look very serious as the camera finally starts rolling. quot;Hum jaante hain ki tumhe apne baap ke peshe se nafrat hai. Par yeh industry ek parivar ki tarah hai. Aur Bhagwan na kare, agar kal use kuch ho jata aur tum use kandha dene bhi nahin aate, to hum sab uske saath rehte,quot; says Kapoor. After a couple of takes, Sahay okays the shot. Then Parekh does her bit and pats the poor son on his back and asks himto go meet his ailing father. This take too is okayed.

And then the set erupts with the first signs of real activity chairs are being moved and stars are being herded out. It8217;s time to move on to the next location for some more emotional shots. Hopefully this time the action will outweigh the inaction.