Paheli sees Shah Rukh and Rani coming together as the lead pair after Chalte Chalte

Aakriet in 1981. Ankahee in 1984. Bangarwadi in 1995. Daayraa in 1997. Kairee in 1999. Anaahat in 2003. Paheli in 2005. It?s most likely that you have heard of only the last one in the list. Perhaps, Paheli producer Shah Rukh Khan himself has heard of only a couple of them. But that hasn?t stopped him from funding actor-turned-director Amol Palekar?s latest dream, to release worldwide this Friday.

Based on Sahitya Akademi Award winner Vijaydan Detha?s Rajasthani novel Duvidha, Paheli explores the dilemma of a girl who has to choose between ?a ghost?s eternal love and her husband?s insensitive monotone?. With Shah Rukh himself playing both the ghost and the husband, the Red Chillies Entertainment production also stars Rani Mukherjee with small but significant cameos by Amitabh Bachchan, Suniel Shetty and Juhi Chawla.

For Palekar, who became ?the other hero? in the 70s and 80s with films like Golmaal and Baaton Baaton Mein, Paheli was a welcome change. Having made critically acclaimed festival hits on throbbing social themes, he finally got to work on a bigger canvas. But here, too, Palekar was very sure of his theme ? a woman?s right to choose.

?The story, which I wanted to tell, was something Shah Rukh loved,? he recalls. ?So I suppose he must have seen the commercial part of it. In fact, I am quite sure. I wanted to make a film I loved passionately, and it turned out to be something that he also believed in passionately. And we have made it as passionately and sincerely and with all that we can give.?

It was the script, written by Palekar?s wife Sandhya Gokhale, which not only interested Shah Rukh the actor but the producer in him. And so what could have been a small arthouse flick transformed into a big commercial release. ?The canvas becoming so big wasn?t a problem at all,? feels Palekar. ?In fact, it helped. And I am very happy about it.?

Probably it was Shah Rukh?s attempt at going arty that prompted him to helm the Rs 13 crore project. He has openly announced that Paheli is his first serious attempt at serious cinema. ?I wouldn?t agree with that,? argues Palekar. ?That?s being very modest of him to say. He has acted in serious cinema. He has acted with people who make serious cinema. This is definitely not the first time. So it?s really his modesty.?

Having worked mostly with the likes of Deepti Naval, Sonali Kulkarni and Anant Nag, Palekar had to direct Bollywood?s top stars in the form of Shah Rukh, Rani and Bachchan. But that wasn?t difficult, he says, having wrapped up the shooting in Rajasthan in 45 days flat. ?Apart from being very fine actors, all of them are extremely professional, extremely focussed and ready to surrender to the director. That, I think, is the quality which has made them the superstars that they are.?

?I?ll continue to make films exactly the way I want to make,? says Palekar. Wife and scriptwriter Sandhya Gokhale looks on

Even Palekar?s two-decade-old cinematographer collaborator Debu Deodhar was given a miss and Ravi K. Chandran was picked fresh after his Black beauty. M. M. Kreem, known for his melodies in Jism and Sur, was handed the musical baton, Gulzar wrote the lyrics and Farah Khan choreographed the steps.

No wonder, Palekar is confident about the prospects of the film, both at the theatres and at the festivals. ?I think we have made an excellent film,? he says emphatically. ?So, that takes care of the qualitative part of it. And each one of them ? the complete galaxy of stars which I have ? they have their own fan following. So, I think, that will take care of the film reaching to the millions of people all over the world without my making any extra effort for that.?

But Palekar may not do a Ketan Mehta or a Shyam Benegal and stick to the big canvas. ?I make films which I passionately believe in. I don?t make films with any kind of calculations. I have never made films which are dictated by the market. So I?ll continue to make films exactly the way I want to make. And inshallah, I will be able to make them as I have been able to make them in the past,? he signs off.