TKCZ / SUR

          17th November 2001, Lucky Ali’s luck at the movie sweepstakes still holds. Though he’s yet to have a release against his name he’s already signed enough movies to keep him in greasepaint for a while yet. The latest he’s signed as hero is the Tanuja Chandra-directed Sur name change to TUJH KO KIYA CHAHIYE ZINDAGI, where he plays a music teacher who falls head over heels in love with a student more gifted than he. The role vacillates between good and negative, before love transforms him into good for good.Director Tanuja Chandra is finally making a film where the story revolves around the male protagonist. The young director who made fiery films Dushman and Sanghursh, both women-centric subjects, is now making her fourth film featuring Lucky Ali in the role of a music teacher. Says Chandra about the film, “It will be my first film with a male protagonist. Finally, the distributors will be happy.” Chandra introduces Gauri Karnik opposite Ali in this film to be produced by Pritish Nandy Communications and Pooja Bhatt. “Pooja is the executive producer of the film,” says the director. Though she is busy with the post production of her third film Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar starring Amisha Patel and Jimmy Shergill, she’s talking about her new project, the story of which she has written. So what’s the story about? With Lucky Ali in the cast, we are not very surprised when Chandra says, “The film is about a brilliant music teacher who runs a school. However, he’s in need of that one student who will be the rightful heir to his legacy of music. Someone who will carry forward his tradition, his treasure of music, all that he has learnt. He does find one such student in a girl who is spontaneous and a beautiful singer. He notices a spark in her which he knows will fulfill all that he has been looking for. He takes her under his wing, takes her out from her environment and grooms her to be a polished singer.” Unfortunately though, as he starts training her, he realises that she is actually more brilliant than him. “She’s so good that he’s filled with envy. Unable to do anything about it, he starts destroying her. He shatters her confidence, finds fault with everything she does. The girl is so innocent and taken in by him, that she starts believing him and decides to go away.” That’s not the end. He is pushed to despair and ruin when he confronts himself about what he has done. “He goes back to her again. It’s a very dramatic love story,” explains Chandra. Ask her why she cast Lucky Ali and she says with a many-have-asked-me-this expression, “Because he has that tragic, doom-like quality to his personality. He has vulnerability which I needed in that character. Besides, I like people who have the zeal to do something but haven’t reached where they ought to have. It’s good to work with first-timers as they let themselves completely in the hands of the director, they trust you completely and that helps you to try out different things with them.” As for the actress’ role, Chandra is quite confident about her choice. “Gauri has that Kajol-like quality to her. Her face is very transparent; whatever she feels is reflected easily on her face. She’s a natural actress.” Lucky, unlike other singers, is a chainsmoker, but fortunately, none of it is evident in the singing. The track he rendered for the film at Studio 2000, Andheri, the other day, has an old world feel about it, that reminds one so much of the Tere Mere Milan Ki Yeh Rehna era. The music sure makes for compulsive listening. MM Kreem, the Southie composer has come up with the kind of score that at least by our estimate, sounds certain to bust the charts. Watch out for this one