His look in The Dirty Picture was modelled on the characters his father had played in films like Parichay (1972) and Justice Chaudhury (1983). And in the just-released Char Din Ki Chandni (2012), Tusshar borrows Jeetendra’s all-white apparel and dancing shoes for the Chandni o meri chandni… retro remix with ‘matkas’ (earthen pots) in the backdrop, a la Himmatwala (1983).
The song was canned in two days and this was the first time in 50 days that the unit stepped out of the Khimsar Fort in Rajasthan where they had been living and shooting without a break. “Even though we were filming in the desert, it was a relief being out of our jail, and a strong wind made the heat bearable,” Tusshar admits that getting the steps right wasn’t a problem since he’d danced to his dad’s songs many times before; and that there was just one particular jump, from front to back, that was difficult. “But I wanted to re-shoot portions of the song because the white pants I was wearing were too loose. Dad wore much tighter white pants.”
What’s been Jeetendra’s reaction to his son’s Chandni dance? “He has not reacted yet, I guess he is too embarrassed and Rishi (Kapoor) is waiting to see the film first. But Sridevi did say at the music launch that she has liked my work since the beginning. That’s a big high because I’m one of her biggest fans. I saw the original Chandni (1989) when I was in the eight standard and the film left me wondering how dad’s South India co-star could play a Punjabi ‘kudi’ (girl) so effortlessly.”
Tusshar’s latest rom-com revolves around a four-day wedding, and since the promos started airing, Jeetendra who got married when he was 33, has been after his 34-year-old son to tie the knot. Meanwhile, fans are eager to see the two in a film together. The actor admits that seems like a pipedream for now because his father has lost interest in acting and is happier investing the money his sister, Ekta Kapoor, and he make. He says, “Maybe we’ll come on TV. We’ve been approached to appear as celebrity judges on the reality show, Comedy Circus.”
