Little can match the excitement of one’s maiden directorial venture. Riteish Deshmukh, who turns director with Ved, says that the film is a professional and personal milestone for him. That Salman Khan agreed to make a special appearance in the Marathi film makes it all the more cherished. Khan was the only
actor who came to Deshmukh’s mind when he conceptualised the dance number, Ved lavlay. “We wanted a fun song where the protagonist is complaining to his bhau about the woman in love with him. Yet, his complaints are [full of praise]. He says that she is so nice and perfect that he can’t handle it,” grins the actor-director.
Always happy to help his close friends, Khan is known to make cameo appearances in their projects. All it took was one phone call to get the superstar on board, says Deshmukh. “The song required an A-lister to grace it. So, one day, I called Salman bhai. I didn’t even have to say anything; he agreed to do the song, without hearing any details. I told him that I needed to meet him [to share the details of my] request, but he said it wasn’t necessary. His graciousness leaves me speechless. I have never done a dance number with him before. This is his first Marathi song, and the fact that he is a part of my first directorial venture, makes it more special.” The track has been composed by Ajay-Atul, and sung by Vishal Dadlani.
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Ved lavlay was shot over two days at a set in Mumbai. Praising Khan’s dedication, the actor-director says, “After he arrived on the set, he didn’t go to his van; he remained throughout on the set. When you are shooting, you have to value people’s time. He does that. After pack-up, he told me, ‘I can shoot more if you require more shots.’” Performing to a Marathi song wasn’t tough for the superstar whose mother Salma is a Maharashtrian. “He speaks Marathi fluently,” adds Deshmukh. Ved, a musical drama, also stars Genelia Deshmukh and Ashok Saraf.
