Mumbai:He loves getting drenched, she prefers to carry an umbrella. He's no Amitabh Bachchan and she's not Moushumi Chatterjee. And it matters little as Mumbai couple Shailesh and Vandana Inamdar recreate - and recapture - the romance of rains in a city that seems unchanged through four decades. Forty-four years after Bachchan and Chatterjee frolicked through Mumbai with Rimjhim Gire Saawan playing in the background, the Inamdars can also be seen singing in the rain. Their ode to the Mumbai monsoon with the frame by frame recreation of the still remembered song from the 1979 film "Manzil" making them instant social media sensations.
So there is the greying Shailesh and his wife Vandana bringing back the nostalgia of unhurried walks through the rain and the simple joys of just holding hands. Their video on YouTube has already garnered lakhs of views since July 3, been circulated endlessly on social media platforms and many, many comments. The idea was to share the video with close friends and family and not to share it on social media. We thought the song will have a life of 15 to 20 days and will reach out to our set of friends, say like 1,000 to 1,500 people," Shailesh told PTI, still surprised at the attention their little venture has received.
It all looks a bit difficult to handle. We wonder how stars handle such attention. It is difficult to explain what we feel in words, added the 51-year-old mechanical engineer who runs a factory with his elder son. The couple, who live in Thane, are warding off calls, acceding to selfie requests at petrol pumps and other public places. And a little overwhelmed by it all. Vandana, 47, said she initially did not understand why one would get dressed nicely only to get drenched.
"I don't like getting drenched, I take my umbrella everywhere during monsoon, while he likes rain. Hence, I was saying no. Besides, why travel all the way to Nariman Point, and wear a suit and sari just to get drenched?" The 3.41 minute song sees the Inamdars walk through famous landmarks of south Mumbai, including Marine Drive, Oval Maidan, Nariman Point, CST, and Gateway of India. Just like the Bollywood stars did all those years ago. Remarkably, the city seems almost the same in the Inamdar version shot in late June.
The couple stayed in south Mumbai and waited for the rain to begin shooting. Shailesh said he always wanted to recreate the song but Vandana, a homemaker, took some convincing. "I would often tell Vandana that I want to wear a suit and get drenched in rain. I enjoy Mumbai rains. It took two years to convince her to recreate this song," he told PTI in the interview at their Thane home.