Young director Sanjay Gupta is learning how the star system actually operates in Bollywood. His film Hamesha, which he is directing for producer G P Sippy, has taken several years to complete. And he blames it on stars and their date problems. Gupta says, "I don't see myself as a director so much as a warrior who is battling at every step to sell an idea to producers, to actors, to everybody. I hate the star system. I wish I never had to work with stars."

The delay also rankles as this is his own screenplay. He has worked with writer Ranbir Pushp, who wrote Agnisakshi. The dialogue has been written by Kader Khan and Kamlesh Pandey. "I don't believe in the monopoly of one writer, because today, I find that bouncing boards are very necessary. It's easy to find out what works, but it's more essential to figure out what doesn't. So a team of writers works better, to find flaws in each other's work," says Gupta.

The title Hamesha is significant because it deals with eternal love and reincarnation. The film is about a man's obsession. After the death of his girl, he finds he cannot forget her. "It starts off as a triangular love story but then it moves on to a much stronger, darker film which tackles obsession, the supernatural, reincarnation, suspense and the absolute dark side of human nature," says Gupta.

At the moment, a love scene is being shot between Saif Ali Khan and Kajol at a beautiful place called `Chota Kashmir' at Aarey Milk Colony. Since the film is in the final stages, the hectic activity of a film in its initial stages is missing. The actors have slipped into the skin of their characters and are introspective about their roles.

Says Saif, "It's not really a role where one is putting in too much of one's own interpretation. The script is very prominent and we're all playing a small part of a larger whole." Dressed in a denim shirt, jeans and a gorgeous cream and brown jacket, set off by a flamboyant scarf, Saif has been given a different look in this film. "We are proactive in this film and are reacting to circumstances. For once, this is a role in which you're not constantly looking at your image and wondering whether this is heroic or not you just go with the flow of the screenplay," adds Saif. So, when the heroine walks up to the hero and tells him she's in love with him from her last life, his reaction is unusual. Instead of laughing at her, he accepts that everything is a part of the larger whole and often beyond his understanding.

Kajol, wearing a long red dress, says, "My role is very meaty. It's the kind of role where you get to perform rather than just hang around." She has a double role in the film and two completely different looks. "I hope I've achieved that and managed to portray two different characters," adds Kajol, earnestly.

Aditya Panscholi is playing a 63-year-old man in this film and the director is thrilled with him. "He has played his role with amazing restraint," says Gupta, about a hero, Bollywood seems to have turned its back to.

The director is also enamoured by his film's music which has been scored by Anu Malik. "I wanted to make a statement with this film and Anu stood by me. He gave me these melodious numbers which are very much part of the film. If you remove any song from this film there'll be a gaping void. That's where we have scored. The songs had to be integrated into the script, so we just couldn't listen to 50 songs and pick out any one of them. They had to be specially written and composed keeping the script and situations in mind," says Gupta.

The lyrics are by a host of lyricists -- Rani Mallik, Dev Kohli and Raahat Indori. The film is slated for a June 1997 release, with the music releasing somewhere towards the end of May .

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.