Rajiv Rai -- the man behind the Bollywood hits Yudh, Tridev, Vishwatma and Mohra -- is a busy man. Surrounded with film prints, huge amounts of money and a constantly ringing phone, there is an expectant air in his plush Tardeo office. On the eve of the release of his mega-starrer Gupt, Rai is enjoying the praise that is pouring in from all directions. "Han ji A1 chalegi. Okay ji. Chalo thank you ji," he says, sounding every inch a Punjabi.

He leans back into his chair and starts to wax eloquent about his filmograph. "It is so difficult to anticipate a hit," says he. "A film-maker is not sure about where he stands till the end. But I think I have matured over the years. I have therefore treated Gupt in a different manner -- the violence is tempered and there is more romance. I have made a safe film for both the investor and the distributors."

What does he mean by `a safe film'? Is that his formula for success? "When I incorporate comedy, romance, lilting music in my film I'm playing safe. There has to be some kind of footage to entertainment after all, to ensure you get your investment back. And at the same time, it has to gel with the screenplay," says Rai, his green eyes glinting with satisfaction.

But like most people in Bollywood, Rai puts his faith and fate firmly in the hands of god. And the rest of the credit, he thinks goes to his producer father, Gulshan Rai. "It's made things so much easier for me. I've never had to be down for money. I have made the best of what I've got. There have been so many who've not been able to make it big despite their inheritance," he says.

People start pouring in for prints and first show tickets. "Cheque bounce ho gaya to main kya karonga? Pehle se mera paisa atka hua hai. Recover karne koun jayega?" Rai says, refusing to let go of his precious prints on credit. Suddenly, he is beseiged by a moment of doubt. "By the law of averages, I am going to make a flop film sometime," he says out of the blue.

But with a formula that sticks to multi-starrers, he cannot really go wrong. "Artists at that time weren't busy or didn't charge much. But I don't know about the future," he says. But with Gupt, he knows he is in the clover. Dismissing the flop of Sapnay, which was also based on a love-triangle, Rai says, "Triangles are safe. They run. Look at all triangles from the black and white days. And a good film is a good film, triangle or no triangle."

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.