Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

Aftab Shivdasani may not have seen a hit film for 4 years ever since the release of MASTI (in the interim he has seen 10 flops in a row, each of them starring him in the lead), but his friend and colleague Riteish Deshmukh is standing besides him as a pillar of support. He genuinely believes that Aftab's time would come sooner or later and it is a matter of one film changing all the perceptions around the young man who debuted close to a decade back with Ram Gopal Varma's MAST (1999).

"Seriously, I feel that talent wise Aftab is on par with anyone out there", declares Riteish who has worked with Aftab in comedies like MASTI and MR. YA MISS, "His comic timing is simply excellent and I have enjoyed a comfortable working as well as personal relationship with him."

With both Riteish and Aftab being quite spontaneous when it comes to enacting comic scenes, it must have been special working together in DE TAALI too, isn't it?

"Very true", promptly replies Riteish, "We both know that even if we are standing on an empty screen and asked to do something, it would be magic. Something will definitely come out if we have to enact a scene together since we understand each other well. Also, because both of us like doing comedies, tickling a funny bone comes naturally to us."

Talking about his off screen friendship with Aftab, Riteish divulges, "We play cricket together and know each other for quite some time. Aftab is really a fun and a funny guy to be with. It would show in DE TAALI too where we get to play thick buddies. With Ayesha being the female buddy of our gang, we had an awesome time shooting for the film."

How about Rimi Sen? Wasn't she too a part of the gang?

"When you see DE TAALI you would realize that hers is the strongest of characters in the film", winks Riteish, "She is the one gets the twist in the tale. If not for her, the story of DE TAALI won't move forward. She may have been purposely hidden in the promos so far but once the film arrives this Friday, you would realize her importance to the plot of DE TAALI."