B I C H H O O

LOVE SOOTHES, LOVE CAN ALSO STING
God was always there, God who owned the whole world and could do anything. He wanted to do something with it. He was frustrated with his loneliness one day His being the one and only, the power who had the power to change the face of the world created by him. He was bored. He was looking for something beautiful to create. In a flash of inspiration He created Love and was gloriously happy. He gave love the power to create life, to bring light into a dull and dreary world, to sway, to soothe, to sting and above all even to make life sacred. He created life out of love and gave life all His love which was endless, boundless, unending, eternal. The greatest creation of man’s love was the love He created between man and woman. Just imagine for a few moments God’s world without love and life. Trillions of years have passed after God created love and man has tried to understand, to unravel the mysteries, the marvels and the miracles of this all-time great feeling called love. There are times when he feels he has found true love, love the way God created it but he fails miserably and realises that it is only God who can create true love, not man. God has kept some secrets about love to Himself, secrets He will reveal on the day of Judgement, Qayamat ke din.

Now, my young friend Guddu Dhanoa, the director who has proved himself as a multi-faceted talent with just seven films in a matter of years says he has found the true worth, the true meaning, the true value, the true sanctity of love. It would do the world a world of good if he had leaked out his secret but he is a strange man, a man who doesn’t let out great secrets easily. He says he is eager to make as many people as possible to understand love the way he has understood it, felt it, believed it, lived it while making Bhagwan Chitra Mandir’s Bichchoo. He wants all those who are still interested in love and are interested in saving love from the clutches of Satan to see his film Bichchoo and Guddu swears he will not disappoint the seekers of the meaning of true love. And you don’t have to wait too long for Guddu’s secret to be out. His Bichchoo is due for release on July 7, a day when love will be well pleased with Guddu for letting out the secret he claims to know it to the world, the feeling that he created, a feeling that keeps the world going in love. For, what’s this fast progressing world going nowhere without love?

A little hint that Guddu comes out with will give you an idea about love as he has felt it and shown it. He says his film Bichchoo is about three "heroes" - Bobby Deol, Rani Mukerji who is also a "hero" and a scorpion ("Bichchoo") and openly says it is a love story where true secrets will be out only after the film is released. And keeps repeating it, however hard you may try to get something out of him. Strange it may sound but let’s give this young and ambitious filmmaker a chance, a man who has the guts to call his film Bichchoo (scorpion) and openly say it is a beautiful love story whose secret is one of the greatest mysteries of the world. The world which is badly in need of love will probably be a very different world with the kind of love Guddu has discovered. That’s our prayer.

Guddu, is in a way, a man truly gifted by God. He did not learn the rules of direction from any "guru" or "master" and yet has already directed six major films, films like Elaan, Gundaraaj, Tu Chor Main Sipahi, Ziddi, Aflatoon and Salaakhein and is now ready with his most eagerly awaited film Bichchoo. He has treated all kinds of subjects. Action of the kind rarely seen in other films is his strong point but is yet not the only strong point. There is love too, love like it has never been seen or heard before, as Guddu believes. There is good music by Anand Raaj Anand, the talented young music director whose talent has been put to full use by Guddu’s talent. There is also a whole world of human emotions which go into the making of the subject. Guddu is one of those gifted directors who strive to enliven, to entertain and to elevate - and he has succeeded most of the time and sometimes in a very big way. He always says he does his job to the best of his ability and then leaves everything in the hands of the Almighty who has decided everything for him at every stage and step.

The power to know secrets one should learn from Guddu. He is not willing to reveal any major effort he has made and which has become a highlight. However, there is one secret he cannot hide now and that is the music of the film which has surprised the market with its superb songs and lilting music, all thanks to Anand Raj Anand.

And if it is Guddu Dhanoa, there has to be large doses of exciting and extraordinary action, the kind of action which he claims has not been seen in a very long time. He also claims that his action is not just for action’s sake but holds a lot of meaning, meaning which goes with a subject which deals with problems we are living with today. Guddu has taken double the trouble to make Bichchoo because he is also the producer ("being a producer helps because you put all that you want into the making of the film so that it can be ranked among one of the best films in the making or to come"). Besides, Bobby and Rani and the scorpion the film also has Ashish Vidyarthi (a Guddu favourite), Mohan Joshi and Sachin Khedekar in key roles. Lyrics by Sameer and cinematography by Sripad Natu are the other major credits. These are men who have made the film according to what Guddu demanded, men who know what Guddu likes or dislikes. They also know what Guddu knows what the people like and dislike.

Guddu, the director has his hands full as a director with films to be made both for his own banner and that other banners. Ask him anything more about himself or his film and there is a great scare this man of action, who is so soft when he speaks, of leaving open an "army" full of scorpions on the march to sting men into pieces. One of those films which leaves you guessing till you have seen it and found out more about it - slowly but certainly.

Ali Peter John