What happens when a five-ft-two-inch man from Lucknow marries a mature and attractive five-ft-eight-inch girl from Bareilly? The cast and crew of Main Meri Patni Aur Woh (picture left) spent 37 days on location in Uttar Pradesh figuring that out.

?The film explores the self-created insecurities that most men go through if their wife is bright and beautiful,? explains director Chandan Arora (picture below), back in Mumbai after a ?breakneck schedule that made people lose a lot of weight?. His chosen leading lady Rituparna Sengupta, now making the best of a well-earned break in Singapore with husband Sanjay, laughs: ?They wanted a pretty girl. I do not know if I am that.? Her on-screen husband Rajpal Yadav, however, is sure that the queen of Tollywood is exactly what the script needed ? ?a beautiful and responsible wife, even with little make-up?.

Arora, calling the shots the second time after Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon, recalls how the story germinated. ?From the time of Main Madhuri? Rajpal and I had developed a wonderful chemistry. As we toured the country and then the Morocco Film Festival with the film, we would discuss various ideas. This came from him.? Back with Arora after partnering Chhutki (Antara Mali) on her rickety ride to Bollywood, Rajpal is clear that he wants to do diverse roles. ?My face won?t change, but I can portray different mentalities every time I face the camera so that people have their money?s worth.?

As Mithilesh Shukla, he is a middle-class man burdened with responsibilities after his father?s early demise. Forced towards arranged marriage by the family, he agrees to see a girl and falls in love. ?It is a romantic comedy with a very real feel. All the little things that happen between husband and wife ? moments of misunderstandings that blow up post-suppression ? have been portrayed with touching lucidity that often creates hilarious situations,? says Rituparna. As Veena Mishra, she wears the same salwar-kameez after marriage, travels in an autorickshaw, honeymoons in a little hilly place ? ?exactly what a couple of their background can afford?.

If Rituparna is effusive in her praise of Rajpal?s acting capabilities (?His National School of Drama training shows through?), the compliment is returned by director Chandan Arora. ?We wanted a very good actress as this is a performance-oriented role. If she went a little over the edge, the film would have been ruined. A friend suggested Rituparna. Despite her star status in Bengal and being a National Award-winning performer, she was so dedicated and open to suggestions that it was a satisfying experience.?

The film could see Rituparna, five-ft-six-and-a-half-inches tall in real life, scaling new heights in reel life.