Young and unstoppable

Yash Pandit and Manjari Fadnis are all set to storm Bollywood with their debut film Rok Sako To Rok Lo.

Like Aamir Khan-Juhi Chawla, Shahrukh Khan-Kajol and more recently Shahid Kapoor-Amrita Rao, new kids on the block Yash and Manjari are all set to become the hottest young couple on-screen.

But whether their debut film, a Bollywood version of Archie Comics’ Riverdale High, Rok Sako To Rok Lo, will strike gold is something that has them on tenterhooks till it releases on November 26.

For 25-year-old Yash and 20-year-old Manjari, it was the banner and the chance of a lead role that led them to stand in queue among hundreds of hopefuls for the screen test that finally gave hope to their aspirations. “It was very tough but I guess we were destined to get this film as our launch pad,” claim the duo in unison.

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Says director Arindam Chaudhuri, who’s also the MD of Planman Life, “They’re hard-working and talented so it was a fabulous experience working with them.”
Their next venture Faltoo, also produced by Planman Life will see them in serious roles, a total contrast to the light and frothy .
A chat with the duo:

The storyline…
There are the good guys and the bad guys from two rival schools. “My character Dev is the former and Rok Sako To.. is all about friendship, love and loyalty,” says Yash.

For Manjari, playing Suhana, Dev’s sweetheart wasn’t too much of a problem ‘because she is so much like me. I just had to play myself with a different name.’ There’s also the larger than life figure of Sunny Deol, who plays Kabir, a messiah-like figure who the youngsters idolise, and Namrata Shirodkar, for company.

On the sets…
“We trained for a month prior to shooting for the film so by the time we came to the sets, we had become a huge group of friends. The chemistry that you’ll see in the movie is for real,” grins Yash who is a Commerce graduate from Mithibai College, Mumbai.

Manjari says she was glad that they became buddies because that made shooting so much easier. Even the short and sweet kissing scenes? “Well, actually I was a bit unsure about that. But my director made sure it looked sweet and not vulgar, in any sense so I said okay,” adds the girl, who is a first-year psychology student at Fergusson College, Pune.

Family matters
The fact that both the actors were good singers in their own right, helped them to bag the roles. Although they have no plans to pursue singing as a career. “I always wanted to be an actor and I admire Hrithik Roshan the most. I’d like to work with him,” says Yash, who is the son of musician Vishwaraj Pandit and crooned soulfully at the music release function held at the J W Marriott in Mumbai last week.

Similarly for Manjari whose family is very involved in music, it was acting only that could be a career. “I barely missed making it to the pop band Aasma, but I have no regrets. Acting gives me a bigger high,” says Manjari.

Lofty aims
If you feel that Yash Pandit looks familiar, it’s because you’ve probably seen him in the laugh riot Yeh Kya Ho Raha He, in a bit role. “I’ve also been a child artiste in Chetan Anand’s Haathon Ki Lakeerein. I’m very influenced by Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar, Shahrukh, Salman and Hrithik Roshan. I’d like to work hard like them,” says Yash.

Manjari, though, has favourites in Rekha, Madhuri, Sridevi, Kajol and now Rani, but is clear that she would not like to emulate anyone. “I want to be known for who I am. I’d like to do meaty roles that are meaningful also,” grins Manjari.

The future
Looks rosy now with three more films to go. “Our next film Faltoo will be very different and we’re really excited about that,” say the cute pair. Right now, though, they’re keeping fingers crossed to create magic at the box-office.