It's a particularly dark and rainy morning in Mumbai. And floor No One at Mehboob studio reflects the weather outside. The lighting is dim, the set lacks extravagance and the accompanying hype and hysteria are missing. It's as if the director has enforced a code of calm. With Hrishikesh Mukherjee, director par extraordinaire, as the man in charge, that would come as no surprise. The director works at an unhurried pace that lulls the set into a sense of inactivity. Belying the fact, that schedules are being met well in advance.

Mukherjee, who epitomised clean, wholesome entertainment for two generations of film-goers, is back after a gap of 12 years (his last film was Jhoothi). Shooting his new project, Jhooth Bolay Kauva Katay, Mukherjee insists this a one-off venture. "I am not making a comeback," he states, emphatically.

The set, which is supposed to be Juhi Chawla's house, is devoid of the extravagance of commercial cinema. Instead, the living room and study favour antique furniture. A picture of Amrish Puri, the heroine's father, in a policeman's uniform, is placed on the writing table. The bedroom has another picture, this time a portrait of Puri and his screen wife, Reema Lagoo.

Veteran cinematographer Jal Mistry has set up the shot in the dining room. There is a passage leading to the front entrance at one end of the room, and a partial view of the kitchen, at the other. Hrishida, as he is commonly addressed, is seated in front of a monitor, viewing the camera frame. Reema, dressed in a simple lavender sari, is seated at the table waiting for Anil Kapoor to arrive. He walks in minutes later, dressed in a khadi kurta and white pyjamas, a prominent red tikka on his forehead, and a strange hairstyle. He heads straight for the director who discusses the shot with him.

Anil has to walk into the dining room with prasad and offer it to Reema. Anil yells out to the spot boys, "Mujhe woh prasad de dijiye." He then takes his position at the other end of the passage and waits for the cue. It comes when Hrishida says, "Anil, come on beta."

Anil calls out, "Maaji," and Reema walks towards the passage saying, "Kaun?" "Main Ramanuj," he says.

"Kya baat hai."

"Aapke liye prasad laya hoon."

"Tum mandir gaye the?"

"Haan, woh Bhabhi har Gruvar ko Laxmi ki pooja karne mandir jati hain na. To main bhi chala jata hun unke saath. Aur aaj to Gurvar hai na."

"Achche sanskaar hain tumhare. Bahut sukhi rahoge jeevan mein."

Impressed with his piety she insists on packing him off with ghar ka khana.Hrishida isn't happy with the shot and asks for another take. This time, Anil fumbles over, "Bhabhi Laxmi ki pooja..." In the next take, he again misses a few words and mumbles, "Sorry dada." Hrishida tells him, "Anil, the spirit of your dialogue is right but be a little loud." In the next take, Anil drags his lines. The director is still not happy.

Finally, in the seventh take the shot is okayed.

Anil plays a theatre director in this film and is willing only to reveal that the film is a romantic comedy. What he is willing to admit is that everyone on the set is overawed by the fact that they are working with a legend. Says Anil, "There is no greater honour for me and my co-stars."

Meanwhile, Juhi, who has been waiting outside the set for her shot, walks in, dressed in a brown salwar kameez. She has to rush off for another shoot, and just stays long enough to pose for a few photographs.

It's time for the lunch break and Hrishida finally has the time to sit down and talk. "I was bedridden due to severe arthiritis for a few years. I am only doing this film because I made a commitment to a friend who died recently in an accident. It became a moral obligation," he says.

And, a long absence, changes in the style of film-making and audience tastes don't seem to bother him. "I don't know if my films are relevant to today's audiences. But I think it is time for good films. People must be tired of seeing the same old sex-and-violence formula films," he says.

The story of Jhooth Bolay... is very similar to Chupke Chupke. In his '70s comedy, Dharmendra uses every trick in the book to win over Sharmila Tagore's jijaji. His '90s venture has the same storyline. "This is the story of a modern, educated girl, who falls in love with this young man. But she is not prepared to marry him without her father's blessings. And he is an upright man with traditional values. The film is about how the boy tries to win over her family," he says.

And after working with the biggest stars of the '70s, he is now dealing with a new band of actors. Does he find them different? "The previous generation of actors was very dedicated. These people compensate that with their talent," he says, returning the compliment his stars paid him.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.