Mehul Kumar, whose name is synonymous with patriotic sagas such as KRANTIVEER, TIRANGAA and KOHRAM, attempts a love story this time.

After working with the late Raaj Kumar (MARTE DAM TAK, TIRANGAA, KRANTIVEER), Amitabh Bachchan (MRITYUDAATA, KOHRAM) and Nana Patekar (TIRANGAA, KRANTIVEER, KOHRAM), Mehulbhai (as he is affectionately called in the film industry!) has cast two not-too-strong names in his latest enterprise, KITNE DOOR… KITNE PAAS.

But the film-maker justifies his decision: "That's because the story demanded fresh faces. I signed Fardeen before the release of JUNGLE because I was highly impressed by his work. He suited the role to the T. In the case of Amrita Arora, I had seen her work on the small screen and strongly felt that she was the apt choice for this role. If the artistes suit the role, half the battle is won. When I signed Nana for KRANTIVEER, a lot of people advised me against this decision, for they felt that Nana would not be able to carry the film on his shoulders. People dissuaded me when I signed Raaj Kumar and Nana for TIRANGAA, but everyone knows who proved right eventually."

The storyline:

Fardeen Khan and Amrita Arora are Gujaratis settled in America. They first meet at a shopping mall in New York where they have come to do the last-minute shopping, before they fly to India, where they are supposed to get married to spouses they've never seen. Fardeen is supposed to get married to Sonali Kulkarni, while Amrita is all set to take the saat pheras with Ayub Khan.

It's not love at first sight for Fardeen or Amrita. On the contrary, they end up having a scrap and hate the sight of each other. But destiny has something else in store…

When they land in Delhi (they travel together from the U.S.), they happen to lose their money and find themselves in a quandary. They board a bus (their destination in Gujarat) that is reserved for married couples exclusively and pretend to be a married couple. They travel through Rajasthan before they reach their destination in Gujarat.

They gradually fall in love but are so tradition-bound that they hide their feelings from their parents. In fact, they are all set to tie the knot with spouses of their parents' choice. Beena plays Fardeen's mother, while Govind Namdev and Shama Deshpande play Amrita's parents.

In the climax, Fardeen is all set to take the saat pheras with Sonali, while Ayub is ready to put sindoor in Amrita's maang. Co-incidentally, both the wedding pandals are erected opposite each other. What happens eventually?

Portions of the film have been shot in Australia (Brisbane and Gold Coast). The film is slated for release in mid-January 2002.