MUMBAI: 11 pm, Kamalistan Studios – In a chilly evening, reminiscent of the winter, Neha Dhupia and Abhay Deol sit in their respective vans getting ready to shoot a promotional song for their first film together – Ek Chalis Ki Last Local (ECKLL).

And why must they shoot through the night instead of the day? “Ganesh Acharya, who is the choreographer of the film, is directing his own film Swamy. So he shoots through the day and we’ve decided to finish the song over two nights,” informs a hand on the sets.

With a set constructed like a railway station platform, the pair is to go through four costume changes for the song. Says Dhupia dressed trendily in jeans, a white singlet and plenty of bling, including a huge cross silver pendant, “I play Madhu, a simple Mumbai girl living in Vikroli. She misses the last local home and meets the hero, played by Abhay Deol. The film has comedy and thrills in equal measure.”

“The only problem is that since the film is based over one night, the chances of looking monotonous are higher. Otherwise, a heroine has at least 15 – 20 costume changes through the film. So I’ve tried to change my look as much as possible, and have tried different mannerisms. I’ve done comedies earlier, and thrillers as well, but this will be my first comic thriller,” adds Dhupia.

Abhay Deol dressed in cool casuals says, “My character’s name is Nilesh and he is a call centre employee. So the look is quite stylish and It’ll even sport the Mohawk hairstyle. He’s a regular guy, even a little idiotic. The film is not so much to do with his background, but with the situation he finds himself in. It’s just one night, in fact just two-and-a-half hours of his life, from 1.40 to 4 am. He gets Rs 2.5 crores, and then the film trails what happens when he gets ‘dhai crore in dhai ghante’. When I got to know that Ganesh Acharya will be choreographing the song, I was scared. I am not that stylish or confident!”

Dhupia seems excited about the song, “It’s a fabulous song. I get goose bumps whenever I listen to it. We are shooting it in a typical masala style and it will be, what’s that word, chakkas! It will definitely add more steam in the film.” 

The promotional song called ‘Laari Chootein’, has been shot essentially since Ek Chalis Ki Last Local is a song less film. The song has been composed by Pakistani band ‘Call’. With the shooting complete, the film is at the postproduction stage. Ek Chalis Ki Last Local presented by Bharat Shah and produced by Quartet Films, is directed by debutant Sanjay Khanduri, and is aimed at a December 2006 release.