Waqt has perfect timing

“I play Vilas Raj, the black sheep of the family. I’ve lost my parents and have been brought up with love and affection by my uncle, played by Navinji. Yet I take to bad company. My marriage is also on the rocks,” Randeria elaborates his character for you. In the meantime, the next shot is ready. Nischol and Kuldip Malik who plays Nischol’s eldest son Yogesh, rehearse and Adhikari helps them polish the rough edges. Then, the reels roll. Nischol and Malik walk down the staircase. “Dekho Yogi, khayal timetable dekhkar nahi aate,” says Nischol. They are talking about Kuldip’s wedding, which he has been evading. No double takes, the shot is canned in one go.

Shot number three. Nischol taps Malik’s shoulders. He does everything, but deliver his lines. The retake, however, goes off fine.

“A daily soap for a corporate entertainment company like ours is a matter of prestige. Waqt Ki Raftar will go on for more than 500 episodes,” claims Adhikari.The inspiration for this soap came from a story which appeared in the weekly magazine, Chitralekha. “I thought it had commercial value,” Adhikari explains. The script of Waqt. was crafted from this story. And, shot as it is at plush locations like the Taj Hotel, this soap might well be the costliest soap ever made in Hindi.

Malik, in a full white churidar-kurta, is eager to talk about his character the “eldest dutiful, responsible son”. When asked why he always ends up playing the goody-goody roles, he replies, “Probably because my face suits such roles. But I am playing a bad guy too in Mahayagya.” And Nischol is doing the role because it is central to the story and he, obviously, likes it. Waqt Ki Raftar is star-studded, what with names like Kamini Kaushal, Dr Sriram Lagoo, Raza Murad, Reema and Sujit Kumar in the cast.

At the Pamposh bungalow, one shot follows the other, without any time being wasted. Seems like Adhikari doesn’t like to waste time — he takes Waqt Ki Raftar — too seriously to do that.