By Subhash K Jha

That Mahesh has decided to return to direction ten years after the searing Zakham with the express purpose of depicting the life and teachings of his spiritual guru U.G. Krishnamurthy is a fact has several interesting offshoots.

Mahesh is a life-long devotee of UG's beliefs. To put his thoughts on celluloid would be his most ambitious project to date. For one the film will be in English.

Says Mahesh, "It has to be in a language that would reach out to the maximum number of people. I want UG's teachings to be universally accessible,hence my decision to return to direction. But first my book on UG which is ready to come out.'

The book entitled U.G. Krishnamurthu: A Life releases in August.

"It's the story of those glowing hours that I spent with him. It's a story that has to be told. But before the movie, it has to appear in print. This tale of the cosmic terrorist who lived and died alone is a spectacular story. I hope I can tell it effectively."

The never-say-die creator has seldom sounded so nervous and anxious in recent times.

Elaborating on the book Mahesh says, "It contains a section of my diary jottings entitled 'Taste Of Death'."

He plans to write another portion of his diary jottings entitled 'The Taste Of Life.'

The big question about the movie? Who will play UG the spritual healer?

Says Mahesh, "I guess my gaze has to go beyond Indian shores. It has to be cast properly. Or the film dies stillborn. If the film will ever be made it'd in the English language.

But I suspect I'd rather make a documentary than a feature film on UG. My desire to manufacture illusions has ebbed. I don't want to mystify him. UG was a humanbeing. Fiction and films tend to exaggerate.

And given a choice I'd rather do a documentary which is far truer to the truth about the person. I'm hoping the book with end the fire within me to put the truth about UG in front of the world."