Marriage on the sets

Abir in crisp white dhoti; Swastika looking radiant as the bride. The two had a picture-perfect wedding — literally — on Friday, watched on by Abir’s ‘first’ and real wife, Nandini, and Swastika’s daughter, Mani.
Of course, we aren’t talking of a real wedding. The two actors were shooting a marriage sequence for Abhijit Dasgupta’s “Aashbo Aar Ekdin”.And just like any biyebari, the unit had fullon masti canning the shots. So much so, that the director kept on saying, “Tora ebar ektu chup korbi, please? Can’t work in this noise.”
For starters, Abir had to ride a ghodi for the sequence. “I play Punjabi munda Karan, who’s off to marry his Bengali sweetheart, Mira. Everything was fine but when I was mounting the mare, I realized that this was something I’d never done before. There I was with a pagdi and sehra on my face, completely blind to whatever was happening around me. I knew that the baraatis were dancing away to glory. I kept my fingers crossed. What if any of the lights or the dancers kicked the mare from the back? Where would that leave me? Thank god for the guy who was handling the animal,” Abir recounted.
His ordeal did not end there. “Just imagine, as soon as my director said ‘cut’ and that too after three to four such takes, everyone left me there. The directorial team got busy with the next shot, while the rest of the crew sipped chai. And I was stranded with the animal, meekly requesting, ‘Ore amake keu toh nama’.” Swastika finds her jodidaar talking about his horse riding, Abir later posted online: ‘Horse ridin s jst awful!I salute al d raja,maharajas,d numerous heroes who made horse ridin look so vry glamorous!! it ws d intial hiccups4 me,u knw d 1st time nervousness...ha ha.horses I mean too’.
If you think that was funny, listen to this. The duo kept doing malabodol at least 30 times. “Blame it on our DoP who told us to kept repeating the act till we were asked to stop.”
Swastika, for whom this was her 27th onscreen marriage, agreed, “Oh yes. There was a lot of banter. Poor Abhijitda kept complimenting our chemistry. But only we know what nonsense kept us laughing all through.”
There came a point when Mani made herself comfortable on her mommy’s lap. “I can well see the future. If I ever get married, Mani will actually come and sit on my lap. But she is there in one shot sprinkling marigold petals,” the doting mother added.
Abir, in fact, had posted: ‘solely concentrating on my future Satyabati!!nobdy dares2 intervene!!’ “The rate at which she is growing up! Puro heroine sulabh achoron hoyechhe or. I have told everybody that she will be my future Satyabati,” the actor joked. But he doubted whether ‘ths gorgeous little lady wil agree2 play opp a “flat,weird,OLD” hero?’
Going by Swastika’s words that would not be a problem. “Abir is Mani’s heartthrob. She was ready with her hair and makeup in place when I asked if she would like to accompany me to the shoot as she has her vacation now,” added Swastika. What’s marriage sans a yummy spread? So the entire unit (that roamed around wearing marigold garlands) feasted on biryani.
On a more serious note we asked Swastika what it felt like in koner saaj. “Everyone was asking me the same question. But I like I said this was my 27th marriage on screen. That explains, I guess,” she reasoned.
Our reason, this is one jodi to watch out for, on screen that is!