by Subhash K Jha

On Monday Abhishek requested his director J.P. Dutta for a day off. He accompanied his father and family to Tirupathi for a visit, and flew back to join his unit on Tuesday afternoon.

At the City Palace in Jaipur...the stillness of the night reverberates to the sound of the heavenly Aishwarya Rai as she dances before Abhishek Bachchan.

The plush premises are closed to the public. "Which is a blessing for us. Because it automatically eliminates all chances of intrusion. JP has been on tenterhooks for the last two weeks," informs his efficient wife Bindiya.

Is it because Abhishek's arrival to Jaipur was delayed? "Not at all," Bindiya replies.

"All JP had to do was to shoot the later scenes first before Abhishek arrived. So in principle the only change is that he couldn't shoot chronologically as he has done all his films. Otherwise everything is in control. Of course there's a flurry of activity now when Abhishek is here. We're funally doing the key romantic scenes and the mujra. Don't you think the two look gorgeous together?"

Bindiya has a point. We've seen Bachchan and Rai together earlier. But never have they looked so stunningly compatible . Maybe it's the fact they're shooting at night. It's past midnight and the Palace is converted into a moon-drenched podium of reverent of romance.

Maybe it's the old-world ambience... But the entire Umrao crew is talking about how the City Palace glimmers with a renewed pride as it echoes to the sound of Alka Yagnik's Mujra .

Says Divya, "Abhishek and Aishwarya seem eminently made for each other. And why just them? Shabana and Ash look so perfectly compatible they could've been mother and daughter in their last lives."

Bindiya sighs, "You've to admit the Ash-Abhishek combination is lethal. JP is surrounded by these beautiful women. I was apprehensive about how he would cope, since he's used to doing men's movies."

The Movie Moghul is calm but stressed. Last week his blood pressure shot up dangerously . It's back in control. JP seems to fit into the feminine ambience with grace.

Says the Movie Moghul. "Everyone seems to remember only my war films with the men running around with guns. People forget I've done films in the past where women are central characters. Reena Roy and Smita Patil were central to Ghulami. And Dimple and Amrita were very important in Batwara. I don't know why people should be surprised because I'm doing Umrao Jaan."

His lead pair will be flying back to Mumbai for the New Year. "But I think I'll stay in Jaipur...sleep off my days and weeks of strain and stress," says JP.