ITTEFAQ - SHO0TING REPORT
The Stage Is Set

We are at Mukesh Mills watching macho man Sunil Shetty at his best, as he moves and grooves to the tunes of a ravishing Anupama Verma. The two of them are shooting for Crown Films' ITTEFAQ, which is produced by Asoo Nihalani and Raj Lalchandani. At the helm of the film is Sanjay Gupta who is all geared to wrap up the final leg of shooting as it steadily nears completion.

“We are shooting for the first song in the film actually. It's a romantic moment, in the midst of a lover's tiff between Sunil and Anupama's characters. She's mad at him, and it's all about how he's trying to iron things out between them again,” says the director Gupta.

And what is the film all about? “It's a thriller,” says producer Assoo Nihalani. “Its all about a boy played by Mukul Dev who escapes his village and arrives in the city in search of a respectable job. But when he gets there, he witnesses a murder and that gets him into trouble with the gangsters behind the killing. During the course of all this he meets Pooja Batra's character who is also on the run because her father wants to wed her off to man she doesn't like. The two of them fall in love.”

Where does Sunil Shetty figure in the scheme of things? “He plays a police officer who has been hired to track down the couple. He is a negative character who turns a new leaf towards the second half of the film, when he sees the Mukul and Pooja. He suddenly remembers his lost love played by Anupama Verma and realises that they are innocent after all and that their love needs to be protected and not destroyed.”

When we ask the actor if he is looking to change his screen image from the Desi Schwarzenegger to that of a more mellow and emotional performer, Sunil quickly puts our doubts to rest. “That's not really true. I have to admit I am a little tired of flexing my muscles all the time. I want to be given the opportunity to display my emoting and comic abilities. But it doesn't mean I'm going to stop doing action films. Ittefaq definitely has a good deal of it. You'll see for yourself when it releases,” he promises.

He returns to the shooting of the song, which is well under way, as choreographer Dilip puts the two stars to task. The music of the film has been composed by Dilip Sen and Sameer Sen, with lyrics by Sameer.

Based on a script by Yunuz Sejawal and Imtiaz Patel, Ittefaq also stars Ashok Saraf, Anjana Mumtaz, Shakti Kapoor, Tiku Talsania and Mohan Joshi among others. It was originally supposed to be directed by Bharat Rungachary, but his untimely demise brought in Sanjay Khanna to take over the directorial duties.

“Sanjay has done a marvellous job of the film. We are really pleased with the results,” says Assoo Nihalani proudly. “Besides Sanjay and Sunil share a good vibe. This is their third time working together.”

The film marks a fresh start for Anupama Verma whose debut debacle ‘Grahan' left many with doubts about her chances of making it big. Doesn't it increase the stakes for her survival in the industry? “I've worked really hard on the film. I took it up because I had faith in the producers and the director. I think it has shaped up really well,” says the pretty actress taking a break between shots.

With its songs already playing on most music channels, the music of the film has gained a good deal of popularity. “We have only four songs in the film, though the audio cassette has six of them.”

With the culmination of the film imminent, Ittefaq is all ready to hit theatres nationwide sometime in early September.

WRITTEN BY ANUSHA SAMIR GILL