March 22, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Producer Sajid Nadiadwala is spending sweaty sleepless nights. The entire unit of his film Anjaana Aanjaani came back from the US in the beginning. But the negative stock of his shot footage is still in the US, awaiting a flight. This is so because there was no direct flight from San Francisco to Mumbai before Monday.
Anything can happen in transit. And Sajid knows it.
Agrees Sajid, “It is risky especially for an Indian film and more so for a producer with a name belonging to a particular community. But I had no choice but to wait till Monday for the shot footage to be sent from San Francisco to Mumbai. That’s when there’s a direct flight from Frisco to Mumbai.”
According to Sajid, connecting flights are too risky. “If the footage had to change flights, the risk of misplacement would be far greater. So I’d rather brave a delay and let my film come on a direct flight.”
In the meanwhile, as Monday creeps up on Sajid, he contemplates in his head the possibility, remote as it is, of even a part of the film being lost. “There’s nothing we can do if even part of the footage gets damaged or lost in transit.”
The precious cargo is insured. “But what good would the money do to me if the footage doesn’t reach Mumbai intact?” reasons Sajid.
Anjaana Anjaani is at the moment kept in film lab in San Francisco. This is the first time that the unit has returned without the film.
Hopefully, all the labour that Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra have put into Anjaana Anjaani would reach Mumbai safe and sound next week.
Until then, Sajid Nadiadwala and the entire unit are on tenterhooks.
-Subhash K Jha/ Sampurn Wire
