“I can’t do a Tom, Dick and Harry,” said actor Sanjay Suri during the Press Meet of his forthcoming movie ‘Bas Ek Pal’. It seems the humungous praise showered on him post ‘My Brother Nikhil’ has led to him being bracketed as a ‘Serious’ actor. “I am also doing ‘Speed’ an out and out commercial film,” he justified trying to break shackles of protruding journos with dime-a-dozen weighty questions about the new breed of multiplex cinema aimed at suiting urban sensibilities. Also present at the event was director Onir (Extremely intelligent, respects his sensibilities and doesn’t try too hard to sell his wares), actress Juhi Chawla (How can she still look so lovely….And no attitude…Wow!), music directors Mithoon (Young-n-restless, a bit too willing to please, yet very passionate about his work) and Vivek Philip (Very talented and relaxed).

It was a different kind of Press Meet for a change. No waiters bothering you at every other second with a variety of starters. You just had to go and have your cup-n-saucer tea. Very middle class. A welcome change. And that was exactly the tenor of the entire afternoon, stretching into a quieter evening. There were no airs about any of the stars. Everyone was approachable and in spite of hundreds of flashbulbs and television cameras none of the star cast (There was only Juhi and Sanjay anyway) were dressed in too-gaudy-a-dress. Sanjay wore a simple blue T-shirt, faded jeans with his hair having a self-admitted “Tintin Puff”. Juhi was immaculately dressed in a ravishing long skirt with a silver top, flowing tresses and matching accessories.

The atmosphere was relaxed as nobody drilled it down the throat that ‘You must watch the film as it’s an out-of-the-world film’. Everyone said that it’s a good film matching the urban sensibilities of today’s youth, their problems, their relationships, emotions and how they deal with their precarious situations. When you talk to Onir, the director of the film, one feels as if you can go an talking to him. He explains each and every thing in detail without being catty about other people’s work. He gives you respect, not because you belong to that illustrious Fourth Estate that supposedly believes that it can change careers of politicians, celebrities etc. But he is the same with everyone. Even when he talks to a bar tender, you can notice that humility and gentleness.

Sanjay Suri is warm, refined with that typical open hearted Punjabi sense of humour. It’s another story that he discreetly promotes himself now-n-then, like when he tells the interviewer of a prominent Bollywood Portal, “Hey boss, give a link to sanjaysuri.com…” but lighthearted banter aside, this cool dude still hasn’t got his due. He is far more talented than what one has seen him so far. Let’s see if ‘Bas Ek Pal’ helps him in pushing the envelope further.

Juhi Chawla is a delight in every sense of the word. She answers the simple questions without much hesitation and then a missile in chaste Hindi is thrown towards her: “How do you cope up with the new heroines who believe in cut throat competition?” She laughs in that typical QSQT manner and replies, “Where’s the competition….I am not like them…I am not doing the kind of films that they are doing so where’s the competition.”

After listening to a lot of blah-blah I personally feel ‘Bas Ek Pal’ is one movie I am eagerly looking forward to. Like ‘Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota’ it may push the envelope of sensible cinema forward. Hope it meets with better fate at the Box Office as compared to ‘Yun Hot….’ And all you guys who keep logging on to IndiaGlitz in huge numbers….Check out the exclusive video footage of the ‘Bas Ek Pal’ Press Meet very soon where you shall get up-close-n-personal interviews with Onir, Sanjay Suri, Juhi Chawla and Mithoon. Till then take care….And Chill!