/> Fiction can sometimes be a lot stranger than fact. So it comes as no surprise to know that the Bhatts' take on cricket and match-fixing has an actor named Richard Burton who was a friend of Bob Woolmer playing the murdered coach in Jannat.

This Burton is of course no relation to the legendary Richard Burton, as Mahesh Bhatt explains. "Yes, the coach is played by an actor named Richard Burton. He was a friend of Bob's also coaches cricket at Essex."

Having an actor who knew Woolmer so closely play the character could be a master-stroke of realism.

But Bhatt whose films from the early Arth to the recent WohLamhe have all borrowed generously from real life, warns against over-reading the authentic card in Jannat.

"Jannat is essentially a love story set against the world of match-fixing and the death of a coach is an important turning- point in the plot. However it's the story of a bookie (played by Emran Hashmi) not a coach."

This isn't the first time Emran is in a reality-based film.

Says Bhatt, "Jannat has been taken from real-life incidents from the World Cup. It's about irregularities in our sporting spirit."

Very relevant at a time when sports, glamour and big bucks are getting inextricably wedded.