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Politics Can Wait, CM Takes A Break For Son's Film
Bombay Times
March 1, 2003
 
Family thrilled with release of Ritesh’s debut flick
Ritesh set for D-Day

There are things Ritesh couldn’t do in real life that he accomplished on reel. “Like eyeing a neighbour’s girl or pulling a stranger’s leg,” he says. As Tujhe Meri Kasam opens across the country today, Ritesh slips into flashback mode, recalling his first day of shooting. “I thought I’d be nervous,” he recalls. “But the director (K Vijay Bhaskar) made me feel very comfortable. For my first shot, he made me walk from one end of the road to the other, so that I get used to camera movements and the words like ‘action’ and ‘cut’. My first dialogues came much later, after three to four hours of shooting. By then I was okay.” If it was anything he found difficult, it was dancing on the beach. “He heat was intense,” he says. “Even if you are dead tired, you have to smile into the camera. But I enjoy dancing.” For those who think it’s a love story, Ritesh is quick to clarify, “it’s a story of friendship.”
 

Yesterday, Vilasrao Deshmukh took a break from being a chief minister. “just for a day, affairs of state can take a backseat; my mind is completely blank. I am totally involved in family affairs,” said an excited Deshmukh, whose son Ritesh’s debut film Tujhe Meri Kasam premiered at IMAX yesterday.

Deshmukh was buzy entertaining guests, including top politicians, industrialists and several film stars. Deshmukh also had to welcome relatives who pored in from all over the state. “My aunt, sisters and other relatives have come to bless Ritesh from Latur. The house looks like there is a wedding on.’’

Latur, their hometown, is gearing up for the release of the film today, with a procession and other traditional functions. “Ritesh, along with his brothers, Amit and Dheeraj, will go there as I’m touring. It’s a celebration time for latur,” said Deshmukh.

Talking of the film, a proud Deshmukh said it is a “neat and friendly” film. “Without a filmi background to support him, Ritesh has made it on his own. We are proud of his achievement, whatever little he’s got. Ritesh has done a reasonably good job. He always had the gift of

mimickry, but this is a pleasant surprise.” Ritesh, who grew up on a staple of Hindi movies, used to entertain his family by mimicking stars like Sinha and Rajesh Khanna.

Vaishali, Ritesh’s mother, who’s also seen the film, said: “He’s laboured and it’s the people who will decide his destiny. It’s unfair to compare his performancewith other actors’. He has a long way to go. But uski mehnat screen ke dikhai deta hai. Ab bas logon ko decide karma hai.”

As the parents gear up for their son’s new line of interest, they are also sure that the glitz and the glamour, along with its share of controversies and rumours, will not affect Ritesh. “he will not get himself into anything that will embarrass me or the family. He’s a disciplined boy,” said Deshmukh.

Deshmukh senior believes that destiny plays a major; hard work only complements it: “I’m a law graduate who was returning to Latur to start practicing without knowing that politics was in store for me. Similarly, Ritesh’s filmi career is just an accident. He is, and always will, excel in his first career as an architect.”

 

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