Candid camera on: Jaan-E-Mann

By: Upala KBR, Mid-Day
Wednesday, October 18, 2006

What happens when Sajid Nadiadwala, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta, Farah Khan and a newbie director team up for a film?

Humko maloom hai ke yeh Jaan-E-Mann Rs 35 crore ka hai, that it's an emotional love story and is a love triangle... but we wanted more. So we've got some interesting gupshup about the film and the cast. Sajid gives us an exclusive gossip and behind-the-scenes stills from Jaan-E-Mann.

Producer khush hua

Says Sajid, "The first time I met Shirish (Kunder) I was impressed. Farah told me, 'He's marrying me' and my first impression was that if this guy is ready to marry my sister, he's a great guy! When he gave me a one-line narration of Jaan-E-Mann, I was even more impressed. What floored me was the way he shot and delivered the final product. Shirish will go a long way..."

Salman ke nakhre

Says Sajid, "Aisa kuch nahi tha. Salman has a unique way of working which not many people understand. He works only with friends and it's always an amazing experience working with him.

When stressed, many things happen and we expect 100 per cent from everybody. But all these things are signs of creativity and the bottom line is to have a great product."

Preity's allergy

The Zinta babe has allergy problems. One night, while shooting in New York, she took some allergy medication. Says Sajid, "The call sheet was 7 am but we were still banging on her door at 9 am.

She just wouldn't open the door. Akshay finally wanted to break it open but I didn't know what the American laws were like and if they might arrest us! I was scared for Preity and was almost in tears. Suddenly, she opened the door and started firing us as if nothing had happened. She couldn't understand why we were banging on her door!"

Talking about the number of delays that have marred the film's schedule, Sajid says, "It's the first film in which I have been so apologetic towards everybody. There were so many date adjustments, that had I not apologised or said thank yous so many times, my film would have taken at least four years to be made. I've even said sorry to the spot boys!"

Akshay bhaag gaya

According to rumours, Akshay Kumar considers it lucky to be out of the country when a big film of his releases. He feels his film will become a hit if he's not in Mumbai.

Currently, he's in Dubai and will return to Mumbai for Diwali. But he will only spend a few hours with his family and fly out again. If Jaan-E-Mann is a hit, this will be his third successive Diwali hit after Aitraaz and Garam Masala.

"Salman's my bro"

"There was a lot of camaraderie on the sets. Salman and Akki were working together after 15 years, ad there was never any tension on the sets. We would watch cricket, fool around and play games. Sometimes, I would see both of them cracking up over something and only they knew what it was. Akshay always tells me that whenever he sits with Salman, it seems as if he is sitting with his elder brother," says Sajid.

Favorite songs

Akshay plays a bumbling, unattractive nerd who transforms into a handsome young man, while Salman plays a rockstar. Sajid's personal favorite song is Sau dard, while Salman's is Humko maloom hai and Akshay's is Kabool kar le.

Anu da jawab nahi!

Anupam Kher's dwarf act was created by Shirish using special effects. Says Sajid, "Anupam had to keep shooting over and over again as it was very difficult to film those scenes.

Khersaab had to re-shoot three times because of the 26/7 rains and Salman's hairloss, but he was kind enough not to complain. I apologised to him twice and said thank you four times. I tried imitating him for exactly five minutes. Supporting myself on my knees was so painful, I just couldn't do it for too long!"