'Mehak': A new pair, new fragrance this Valentine’s Day

This is for the first time that actor Dharmedra and Zarina Whab are being paired up by a young film director Sachin Gupta who has the success of Paranthe Wali Gali and Pakhi to his credit. Produced, written, and scripted by Gupta, Mehak is a short film of just 12 minutes. It would be released on Chilsag Picture’s youtube channel.

Mehak is about “evolved love” and acceptance in love by all the members of a family aged between 12 and 80. “It’s a progressed generation you may say, in an evolved society that shows this acceptance of love in a family”, shares Gupta who says the idea of love today in the society has changed. Most films are about nudity, crime and instant love but “Mehak is a feel good film on relationships the whole family can see together and people of all ages would connect to it,” he assures.

At a time when family bonds are crumbling, Gupta has a different take on today’s society that muted the idea of the film. He feels that now families are feeling the need to be bonded again. It is also happening through technology. “Family members can now see and talk with the other family members living across the globe through mobiles and video calls anytime, any day. So a concept of joint family, in a way has come back, with a difference that now it is virtual and not physical.” Mehak is an extension of that idea and feel.

Gupta has the credit of bringing Dharmendra and Zarina Wahab as onscreen pair for the first time.

Talking of an 87-year-old Dharmendra, Gupta says he hasn’t seen in many, the passion the actor has at this age, he is as humble as he is disciplined and workaholic.

“When I met him for the first time, we clicked instantly. I had already shown him my earlier films as my credentials. We sat for three-and-half hours out of which one hour had gone in discussing Mehak and rest in sher-o-shayri”.

The actor is a fine shayar and writes simple nazms and ghazals. The virtual world is capitalising on his shayri in short reels these days.

The film shoot was completed in just two days in Madh Island in Mumbai. Dharmendera would reach the set at 9 a.m. sharp and leave by 11 p.m. He was never tired, and had a child-like excitement and curiosity for every scene he had to shoot. “He is so different from new actors who would just go to the vanity as soon as they would reach the set, shoot selfies, and fill their Instas and Twitter account the first thing. While Dharmendera ji was keen only on discussing scenes with me,” Gupta recalls.

Zarina, now 70, was immensely patient, had fresh energy like a college going girl and had a warmth that was so easy to connect. That’s why the pairing up was easy. “I strongly feel that Zarina ji hasn’t got her due in the film industry. She has a very strong screen presence.”

Gupta, a Delhiwala, software engineer by qualification, and a passionate theatrewallah, has written 16 plays, 15 short films and 4 feature films that include Paranthe Wali Gali (2014) on the essence of old Delhi, Thoda Lutf Thoda Ishq (2015) and Paakhi (2018), a crime thriller (Zee 5). His Chilsag Chillies Theatre Company created in 2003, had staged numerous plays in Canada and New York (where he lived and worked for a few years), with mostly American actors. Also an occasional banker by occupation, whatever he earned, he directed to his creative pursuits. He returned to Delhi to make his first feature film in 2014 to “an immerse success”. Since then, he has never looked back.

Mehak is releasing on this Valentine’s Day on Chilsag Pictures youtube channel.