The Bachchans have their backs to the camera as they pray to Lord Ram on Diwali day. Their home is lit up to indicate it is a joyous occasion, but subdued enough to indicate that something's amiss.

Amiss because the couple's older son, played by Shah Rukh Khan, is not part of the celebration. Younger son Hrithik Roshan imagines Shah Rukh to be around and his face lights up for a split second. Tears well up in his eyes when he doesn't see bade bhaiya. This is the next shot being canned.

Explains Karan, "This is the interval point in the film." The title song plays in the background as Hrithik gives his dramatic shot, necessitating several emotions to flit across his face, one after the other, all in barely 30 seconds. Sometimes, it is Hrithik who asks for another take; on a couple of occasions, it is Karan; and if it's not the duo, cinematographer Kiran Deohans wants a retake. The final take is so wonderful, it brings tears to my eyes!

That was the gham. Just before that shot, there is khushi of a different kind on the set. Amitabh presents a box of laddoos to Deohans, bowing before him. Kiran, a trifle embarrassed, accepts the box. We hastily compliment Amitabh on becoming a grandpa a second time (daughter Shweta and son-in-law Nikhil Nanda had a baby boy on November 23). The actor beams: "Nahin, uski mithai to do dinon pehle baant di thi (Those sweets were distributed a couple of days ago)."

Then he explains why he gave Deohans the laddoos. "Kiran never okays my shot in the first take. Never! So I promised him a box of laddoos the day he okayed even one shot of mine in the first take. It happened a while ago and therefore, I thanked him with a box of laddoos!" There are laddoos for everyone on the set as the Big B has arranged not just for one but several boxes of sweets.

If Bachchan had called for laddoos, Hrithik had ordered two large pizzas. Even while Hrithik was gorging on the pizza, Amitabh appeared and was about to pick up a piece when he was told it was chicken. "Oh, I'm vegetarian," he sighed. Karan promptly sent for a cheese pizza for the Big B. "All this has also been ordered for by Hrithik?" asked Amitabh, pointing to the sandwiches and other snacks spread out on the table. "Yeh unit ka hain," came a voice. "To ye sarkari hain," Amitabh joked.

Jokes, pizzas and sandwiches apart, the set conceived by Sharmishta 'Buddi' Roy was majestic. Explained producer Yash Johar: "All these paintings on the walls are very expensive. The house has to look like a multi-millionaire's home."

As the shoot progresses, Karan asks his assistant to arrange for a ring with a single diamond. "It is for Shah Rukh's proposed engagement," the boy wonder explains. "I'll can that shot tomorrow," he adds, gulping down some fruit.

KKKG will be released next Diwali. Karan is sparing no effort to craft his beautifully scripted family drama as a movie marvel. Just like his first film, the amazing Kuch Kuch Hota Hain.