Yash Pandit and Manjari Fadnis in the city to promote their film. Picture by Aranya Sen

Can a teen romance steal the thunder from two high-voltage love sagas (Mughal-e-Azam and Veer-Zaara) and lure the teenybopper audience with its campus capers?

The weeks after December 10 will decide the fate of Rok Sako To Rok Lo and the workings of a well-knit marketing machinery, believes Arindam Chaudhuri who remembers watching Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in an empty auditorium just after its release. The film that launched a debut director, lead pair, music composer and playback singers is the management guru?s motivation.

?After 12 years of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, here?s another high school film with first crushes and rivalries, friendship and family. It will touch all those who yearn to relive the good ol? days in school,? announced Chaudhuri on Tuesday, flanked by Yash and Manjari at The Park two days before the release of Rok Sako.

The first-time director is launching his debut Bollywood project with two fresh faces, Yash Pandit and Manjari Fadnis. The film also stars Sunny Deol and Namrata Shirodkar.

As Dev, Yash is the leader of his gang on whom the bubbly Suhana, played by Manjari, dotes. Inspired by Sunny Deol (who rides a Harley Davidson and wears a bandana), Yash, Manjari and their friends find what it takes to stand up to a rival school team and also explore the truths of life.

Chaudhuri has put his lead cast in a spot there. In this throwback to the superhit high school love story Jo Jeeta, Yash and Manjari do need to match up to the charms of an Aamir Khan or an Ayesha Jhulka to meet the director?s expectations.

(From top) Sunny Deol and Namrata Shirodkar, Arindam Chaudhuri at The Park on Tuesday and the gang of friends having a blast

?During the interviews, sir (Chaudhuri) tried to understand how much I related to the character. In fact, I am a lot like Dev. I was very active in school, played football and won prizes in music competitions,? said Yash.

The 25-year-old commerce graduate did most of the stunts himself, having trained in gymnastics.

Chaudhuri has backed up his project with detailed market surveys at every stage of pre and post-production work. Starting with the script chosen from five storylines shortlisted from 36.

?We are targeting the Class-IX-to-college crowd for multiple viewership. If that doesn?t happen, I will consider Rok Sako to be a bad film,? asserted the CEO of the Delhi-based management firm Planman Life.

Almost on a par with the production cost (Rs 6.5 crore) is the marketing pitch adding up to a whopping Rs 5.5 crore. As for the lead pair, Chaudhuri?s team screen-tested and interviewed 1,500 hopefuls before cutting it down to 25 from which Yash and Manjari were picked.

?Sir gave us complete creative freedom. He would brief us about what he wanted and then leave it to us to improvise. So, we would rehearse the scenes during the workshops and choose the best for the shooting,? chirped Manjari. The 20-year-old was one of the four finalists at the Channel [V] Popstars contest.

During a month-and-a-half-long workshop, the duo rehearsed its dialogues and practised the dance steps for nine to 10 hours everyday before hitting the floors.

For the role of their larger-than-life mentor, Chaudhuri zeroed in on Sunny Deol for obvious reasons. ?Only he or Sanjay Dutt could fit into a character that rides a Harley Davidson and is a gentle guide for the youngsters... An early riser, Sunny would insist we start shooting his morning scenes from 6 am instead of 9, and he was never late.?

One of the things Rok Sako is banking on is the refreshing score by Jatin-Lalit, with the title song billed to be a youth anthem.

Planman Life has signed up Yash and Manjari for four projects in a three-year contract. Next in line is a Bengali production, Phaltu. To be directed by Anjan Das, the story is a youth?s search for identity, based on Syed Mujtaba Siraj?s Ranir Ghater Brittanto. Chaudhuri and his lead cast return to Calcutta next month to shoot the film.