Guest who is here?
by: Vickey Lalwani
- mid-day.com
Ashutosh Gowariker has one rule that the cast and crew of Jodha Akbar had to adhere too: absolutely no visitors.
No matter how high-profile the guest, no one was welcome on the sets of this period film. But the one time the director changed his rules, it was for Amitabh Bachchan.
Personal attention
Recently, Bachchan visited Gowariker’s grand set at Nitin Desai’s studio in Karjat. While the occasion was also the second anniversary for Desai’s studio with the who’s who of Bollywood in attendance, Bachchan was given the special privilege of visiting Gowariker’s off-limits set.
Gowariker personally went to Bachchan’s car to greet him and showed him around the expensive set.
Says a source from the Jodha Akbar unit, “Actually, Ashutosh had sent a personal invitation to Mr Bachchan, when he had expressed a desire to see the set in an interview. Ash had also been raving about her director’s focus and the authenticity of the set to Bachchan. This made him curious enough to want to check it out for himself.”
When contacted, Nitin Desai confirmed Bachchan’s special dekho of Gowariker’s set. “I don’t know if Ashutosh sent a special invitation to Mr Bachchan or not, but I too had invited him for the puja. I was celebrating my studio’s second anniversary on March 7 and wanted Mr Bachchan to be there. He is like God to me. In fact, I fixed the date only after Mr Bachchan confirmed his participation.”
“The time of the function was 6.30 pm and Mr Bachchan arrived an hour early to visit the Jodha Akbar set,” says Desai.
According to Nitin, the director had no reservations about Big B’s presence on his set. “Ashutosh was very cool. He had no problems when it came to Mr Bachchan. Yes, he has been very secretive, but that’s because he is making a very special film,” Desai adds.
May I?
The source adds that Bachchan was left speechless after seeing the set. Nitin confirms, “Yes, he was very impressed with the set. It took me three months to set up the Jodha Akbar set. We have recreated the Agra fort, including its three gates. He also saw the Deewan-e-khaas.”
“He liked every aspect of our detailing and was very pleased. I must also mention that he specifically asked me if he had Ashutosh’s permission to visit the set or not, before Ashutosh himself came out to receive him. Mr Bachchan is extremely courteous.”
Tech perfect
Subsequently, Bachchan hit Desai’s grand party with Rai, Roshan and Gowariker. Manmohan Shetty, Madhur Bhandarkar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Anil Kapoor, Feroz Khan, Ketan Mehta, Deepa Sahi, Deepti Naval and Uddhav Thackeray also attended the function. Religious rituals and a display of firecrackers also marked the celebration.
“I always wanted to provide a well-equipped modern studio for the industry, and now I have succeeded. Having worked with virtually everybody, I know what producers and directors need,” says Desai, whose studio has become the most happening place in recent times.
Presently, Desai is busy putting up sets for Ram Gopal Varma to shoot the Mehbooba song for RGV’s Sholay next week, and then he will be completing Madhur Bhandarkar’s set for Fashion.
Related Links:
03/18/07 Play it again - expressindia.com
03/18/07 Let there be light! - mumbaimirror.com
03/08/07 Nitin Desai's ND Studio completes two years
03/08/07 Gowariker: I've done my research for 'Jodha-Akbar'
03/05/07 Ashutosh Gowariker relieved by court
03/05/07 Big B to visit Ash on the sets of 'Jodha-Akbar'
02/27/07 News Tidbits - various
02/16/07 A cut above? - mumbaimirror.com
02/06/07 'Jodha Akbar' set thronged by visitors!
02/06/07 Fit for a king - mumbaimirror.com
01/08/07 Hrithik loves his Chandni! - mid-day.com
01/04/07 Soundtracks to look forward to in 2007 - indiafm.com
12/27/06 Is Gowariker worried about Ash-Hrithik's image?
12/22/06 Gowariker's 'Jodha-Akbar' in legal soup
12/19/06 Such a long shot! - dnaindia.com
12/07/06 Rajasthan CM visits Jodha-Akbar sets
12/07/06 Aishwarya rides an elephant for Jodha-Akbar
