Director Ram Gopal Varma's "Nishabd", which releases Friday, tells the story of an intimate and unusual relationship between an older man and his daughter's friend.

Starring Amitabh Bachchan and newcomer Jiah Khan, "Nishabd" is said to be based on Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel "Lolita". While Nakobov's novel is about a 44-year-old man fantasising about a precocious 12-year-old girl, Varma's "Nishabd" is about a 60-year old married man's romance with an 18-year-old girl.

Amitabh plays a wildlife photographer in the film and lives with his family n a hill station. Jiah is his daughter's friend, who comes to spend her holidays with the family.

The lensman's artistic vision is triggered off when he sees Jiah's youthful activities and starts capturing them in his camera. But these harmless photo sessions take an unpredictable turn when Amitabh sees Jiah playing in the water getting all wet. It changes his feelings towards her and starts fantasising about her.

This attraction is not one-sided as Jiah too is obsessed with him and unhesitatingly confesses her love.

When he tells his family about his feelings for the teenager, all hell breaks loose. His daughter is shell-shocked on hearing of her dad's romance with her friend.

Through this film, Varma tries to state that age has nothing to do with love. Attraction between two people can exist, irrespective of age.

Aaftab Shivdasani, Revathi and Rukhsar also star in the film.

The novel has been twice adapted into a film - first time in 1962 by Stanley Kubrick starring James Mason as Humbert Humbert and next in 1997 by Adrian Lyne, starring Jeremy Irons and received mixed response.

It is now to be seen how the Indian audience reacts to Varma's interpretation of "Lolita".