On the Sets of Shree-Article

Kripaya shanti banaye rakhen. Who are these words, written at the entrance of Mansukh Compound studios in Mumbai, meant for?

Inside, a puja is on, with a priest chanting mantras as three figures sit reverentially by the fireside. One is a producer and the other two the lead actors of the show being launched. With the god Shani, a trouble-giver, being invoked, whose evil eye is being warded off?

The launch of Shree, a serial for Zee TV, is giving rise to more questions than answers when the show reel reveals the tagline "Pavitra bandhan par ashubh saaya". "It is a love story with a supernatural element," announces producer J.D. Majethia. And that element is malevolent. "It will create problems for whoever wants to get close to Hari."

So Shree, the leading lady and Hari's heartthrob-designate, is in for trouble. And it doesn't help that Wasna Ahmed, who plays Shree, is hardly a braveheart. "I believe in ghosts just as I believe in God," she admits humbly. "I can't see horror films without people around."

Seated next to her is a woman with unkempt hair and wild eyes. She is the madwoman in Shree's village. Hari's first shot with her required him to open the door, see her screaming and step back in fright. "The boy (Pankaj Singh Tiwari) had not seen me before off-camera. He opened the door and there I was in character. Though he knew what to expect, he was so scared that he leapt out of camera range. The look was so natural on his face that the director kept the reaction shot and got him to retake the rest," smiles Pratima T., a theatre veteran.

Frankly, Pankaj could not be blamed.

But the makers have no intention to scare the weak-hearted. "The show is a cocktail of comedy, love story and family drama," Majethia says. "We've not tried to force in the supernatural. When there is a comedy track, it will be comedy," assures director Ankush Mohta.

In the next room, a shot is being canned. A figure with her arms spread draped in a black robe sways as the camera captures the shadow. The shot okayed, out of the robe emerges Sharmila Shettigar, an assistant director. She is the body of a spirit. "I haven't told folks at home. Let's see if they know me from the shadow," she smiles. Comedy of horrors?