by Subhash K Jha

Now it can be told. Esha Deol is NOT playing Sushmita Sen in Vikram Bhatt's Ankahee.

Remember Hema Malini's unforgettable montage in Tere Mere Sapne of weeping into a half-open refrigerator after she comes to know the man she loves is married ?

In Ankahee the role of a hyper-agitated actress who has an affair with her married physician is inspired by Vijay Anand's 1971 semi-classic Tere Mere Sapne where Dev Anand played a married doctor who has an affair with an actress.

Interestingly Tere Mere Sapne was inspired by A.J. Cronin's classic novel The Citadel. In Vijay Anand's film the wife and her doctor-husband's role were played by Mumtaz and Dev Anand.

The role of the actress who has an affair with the married man was played by Hema Malini who was billed as 'guest appearance' in Tere Mere Sapne.

For the first time in the history of Indian cinema the daughter Esha Deol steps into the mother's role in a character inspired by 35-year old film.

Says producer Pritish Nandy, "I'm not denying the similarities between our film Ankahee and Tere Mere Sapne. That was a wonderful film, and a lot of people have noticed the similarities between Hema's role and Esha's role.

Hema was a wonderful actress and she did a great job of her small part in Tere Mere Sapne. Esha has a far more substantial role in Ankahee. And she's amazing. She'll stun audiences. Nothing she has done so far will prepare audiences for her performance in Ankahee."

Esha was chosen for her for the role of the unstable actress after watching her in Harry Baweja's Main Aisa Hi Hoon.

Will Esha be compared with her mother? "That would be unfair. It's time we gave the star-kids a chance to come into their own," says Pritish Nandy.

And the the parting-shot. "We're bringing Hema and Esha together in film that will be made by the end of this year," informs the maverick producer.