There is a twist in the tale....

`The film is about the conflict between duty to one's land and commitment to one's beloved....'

After having given the Hindu film industry movies that delve deep into relationships like ``Sajan Bina Suhagan'', ``Sautan'', ``Sautan Ki Beti'', ``Sanam Bewafa'' and ``Khal Nayika'', right up to ``Mother'' released in 1999, Saawan Kumar Tak went into a short hibernation. But he is once again back with another tale of love and relationship.

This time though, Saawan Kumar has a wider canvas to play around with, what with the transcendence of love over national boundaries providing the framework for the new story jointly scripted by himself and Kamleshwar. Titled ``Dil Padosi Ho Gaya'' the film will go on the floor this coming August.

``Earlier I had thought of `Aur Kitne Pakistan' as the title, but then I realised it might whip up unnecessary controversies,'' Saawan Kumar says. Incidentally, ``Aur Kitne Pakistan'' is the title of a series that Kamleshwar wrote for a national magazine. ``There will be a seven minute prologue before the film that will explore how this diverse world of complex relationships came from a single bond of love''.

Saawan Kumar, whose last film ``Mother'' did not do well at the box-office despite having Jeetendra and Rekha in the cast, says ``Dil Padosi Ho Gaya'' will have an absolutely new cast. Interestingly, the director has had no reservations working with newcomers right from the days of ``Naunihal'' in which he introduced Sanjeev Kumar. Amitabh Bachchan in the unreleased ``Ghalib'', Neetu Singh in ``Hawas'' and Anil Kapoor in ``Laila'' were also freshers when Saawan Kumar decided to cast them.

``Dil Padosi Ho Gaya'' is a love story that transcends national boundaries though it will be quite unlike ``Gadar'' . ``The story revolves around two central characters -- an army officer and his brother -- and a girl who is from Pakistan. The girl falls in love with the Army officer and is ready to take on everyone who comes in the way,'' says Saawan Kumar, revealing the storyline.

There are five songs in the film and these have already been recorded. One song by Sonu Nigam is very evocative and even the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Ms. Sushma Swaraj, who heard it recently, was touched by the lyrics. ``The song is sung in the background of ununiformed army officers from across the border being buried in our soil at the time of the Kargil war. When I saw this scene on television, I was moved to tears and composed the lyrics there and then,'' the veteran director informs.

In fact, the film is interspersed with songs and dialogues written by Saawan Kumar himself. The seven-minute prelude has the director pouring out his heart. ``Kudrat ne baksha tha humko ek haseen jahan; Tukde tukde kar dala kyun tune insaan/Kahin banaya America aur kahin pe Hindustan; Kahin pe Russia, kahin pe Europe kahin pe Pakistan/Aao milkar banaye aman ka aisa koi makaan, Jisme rahen insaniyat aur rahen insaan''.

However, Saawan Kumar hastens to add that the film will not bring India or Pakistan down. The simple message of the film is that ``love has no boundaries'', says the director, who is planning to release it by the end of next year. ``Many of my earlier films have dealt with love and relationships. But this film is about the conflict between duty to one's land and commitment to one's beloved,'' he says.

Among his future projects is a new venture in English titled ``I Am You''. ``It is a story based on reincarnation,'' Saawan Kumar points out. ``However, I will be taking up this project only after completing Dil Padosi Ho Gaya.''

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