'No villain. No tragic end'

Gautam Mutha

We were captivated!

The festive mood, the glittering people bedecked in shimmering gold finery, the high adrenalin levels, the intricately carved furniture -- if I did not know better, I would have thought I was actually attending a wedding in Himachal Pradesh, where the story is set.

What really inticed us, though, was the fragrance... of food. The sweet smell of jalebis mixed with the spicy scent of pakwaan and the steam rising from boiling cauldrons where puris were being fried by the dozen...

We are on the sets of Kapoor & Kaushik Entertainment Pvt Ltd's debut venture, Badhai Ho Badhai, starring Anil Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty and Amisha Patel. For those who came in late, KKEPL is the company floated by Anil Kapoor and Satish Kaushik. What's more, the film is being presented by Subhash Ghai's Mukta Arts.

The present schedule of the film is being shot at Bombay's Filmistan studios and the scene in question goes something like this: Anil Kapoor is on a tour of Himachal Pradesh and is being enthusiastically welcomed by the baraatis.

And no, it's not Anil Kapoor's wedding; he's merely being invited to participate in the celebrations. Accepting an assortment of the scrumptious delicacies on offer, Kapoor delivers his dialogue: "Theek hai, khana tumhara, gaana mera."

What follows, of course, is mucho predictable. The baraatis, in true Bollywood style, break into a song-and-dance jig, with everybody struggling to match the pace set by choreographer Ganesh Acharya.

Fortunately, the shot is okayed and everyone pauses for a breather.

Including an obviously excited Kapoor. "It's a fun film throughout," he pants, "No villain. No tragic end. It is all about happiness."

Director Satish Kaushik, who's been spared the exertion, is more coherent. "This film is inspired by a Tamil film, Poove Unnakkaga, the rights of which were originally bought by producer Mansoor Ahmed Siddiqui. But it will not be a frame-to-frame copy. We have set the subject of the film in a different mould."

Kavita Chaudhary -- of television serial Udaan -- fame worked on the script for Badhai Ho Badhai. "She's given it a distinct touch of her own," beams Kaushik. "Kavita was a classmate of mine and this is her first attempt at writing a film. And I must admit she has done a good job."

Badhai Ho Badhai also stars Farida Jalal, Rohini Hattangady, Kader Khan and Amrish Puri. And renowned south Indian director K Vishwanath, who essays a grandfatherly role. Shilpa Shetty plays a Punjabi kudi, while Amisha Patel is the Christian lass.

The film also launches Rajeev Jain, who turns independent cinematographer. "He was Ashok Kumar's assistant," enthuses Kaushik, "and he also shoots ad films. He is a brilliant technician."

Anil Kapoor, who's breathing normally now, rejoins the conversation. I wonder he too will succumb to the lastest fad of hosting a television game show? "I've not even acted in an ad film so far and, fortunately, nobody has approached me for hosting a game show either. In any case, I am not game for it."

As for the Kapoor-Kaushik team, they've set themselves some unusual guidelines for their debut film. For starters, they won't be shooting on foreign location. Nor will they use hi-fi technology. The film will an out-and-out entertainer with "an Indian style and Indian sentiments."

But they will not even give the slightest hint about what is touted to be the real surprise in Badhai Ho Badhai -- an encounter between Subhash Ghai and Satish Kaushik. We'll have to wait till August next year to witness this one.

Break-time over, the gaana-bajaana begins again with much enthusiasm. Did we forget to mention that the song is well-penned, hummable and zestfully rendered? The trio of Javed Akhtar, Anu Malik and Udit Narayan can definitely take a bow!