Subhash K Jha (DNA; March 18, 2015)

Ameesha Patel’s first home production Desi Magic got delayed because Ravi Kissen played the villain…. in more ways than one. The Bhojpuri star took off for three months to fight the Lok Sabha elections while Ameesha and her team twiddled its thumbs.

She says, “Ravi was stationed in his constituency during the elections. Obviously, he couldn’t shoot for us. That did slow us down. So did the fact that our leading man Zayed Khan tore a ligament in his leg, and Randhir Kapoor, who plays an important role, took off on a holiday”.

But she isn’t complaining. “We are in no hurry to release Desi Magic. We will release only after the school examinations and the IPL end. Our film is for an audience from the age of six to 60. As the name suggests, there’s a magical quality about it. The film has the innocent romantic charm of Karan Johar’s Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and my own Kaho Na…Pyar Hai.”

Ameesha feels commercial mainstream cinema has lost its innocence. “We either have the Dabangg kind of action films or the cheesy comedies that no family can watch together. We feel Desi Magic brings back the pleasure of the rom-com.”

The actress, who saw great success in the initial stage of her career has been going through a slump period. She is hoping to revive her career with DM. “A lot of our cinema today looks like an extension of television. Why would the ticket-buying public pay to see on the large screen what they already have at home? Desi Magic will hopefully revive the magic of the moves,” she concludes.