Jackie was shooting for a film called God and Gun in our colony in the Mumbai suburbs. And even though the peaceful colony had turned into a beehive, no one seemed to mind. We toddled along with our cycles to the 'sets' and saw the star surrounded by at least seven other people. On a whim, Jackie decided to go into the vanity van and take a ride around the colony. So off we went following the huge van with dark windows. We followed it for about ten minutes wondering all along what film stars do in these vans.

And just when I was beginning to get a little tired of the chase, one of the small windows opened. Jackie, wearing a black shirt, leaned out, waved and merrily exclaimed, "Kya bachcha log?" Everyone in the little group shrieked back in response. He waved back at us once again and the little window closed. And the van went back to being the grim, mysterious vehicle all over again.

No one ever heard of God and Gun. It released some few years after this incident. And it disappeared from the cinemas soon after. I don’t remember watching the film. But the one moment when the gloomy vanity van came to life remained with me forever.

(Posted by Anjan Srivastava)