CHANDNI CHOWK’

In her fourth film titled Rajma Chawal, director Leena Yadav has cast Rishi Kapoor and newcomer Anirudh Tiwari in a fatherson conflict drama set in old Delhi. The filmmaker can’t stop raving about the Kapoor and Sons actor. She says, “It’s been such a joy working with him. He is a source of inspiration for all of us. He has understood and interpreted his character with rare and immediate understanding. He has been so patient shooting in the crowded gullies of Chandni Chowk. At first, we needed to put up signs to warn the crowds of our shooting. Now they’ve taken to us as though they’re shooting a film with us rather than the other way around.”

Food has been a constant on the sets of Rajma Chawal. “We are constantly eating. There is food everywhere, and all the time. We can’t get away from it. Rishi grumbles good- naturedly about his weight. But we know he’s having a good time,” says the director of the highlyacclaimed Parched.

Her next film is essentially a father- son drama about the generation gap and communication has diminished in the era of instant linkups like Twitter and Whatsapp. While the renowned cinematographer Russel Carpenter shot her previous outing, Rajma Chawal is being worked on by Donald McAlpine of Romeo & Juliet and Moulin Rouge fame. “We’re doing a Moulin Rouge in Chandni Chowk,” quips Leena.

Leena, who began her directorial career with the unorthodox Aishwarya Bachchan- Sanjay Dutt- Zayed Khan love triangle Shabd, went on to do Teen Pattti with Amitabh Bachchan and Ben Kingsley. “I guess I’ve been fortunate with my casting from the beginning. That good fortune continues in Rajma Chawal,” she explains.

— SKJ