/> At one time Rituparno Ghosh planned to make it in Hindi with Naseeruddin Shah as the filmmaker-husband, Shabana Azmi as the estranged wife, Farhan Akhtar as their son and Vidya Balan as the actress whom the husband falls in love.

But the script, inspired by Guru Dutt's Kaagaz Ke Phool is now being made in Bengali.

Veteran actor Deepankar De plays the director, Mamta Shankar is the wife and Ananya Chatterjee is the actress in this real-life love triangle. Kaagaz Ke Phool was based on Guru Dutt's own troubled marriage with Geeta Dutt.

Ritu in the middle of shooting the film at a stretch in Kolkata explains, "It's called Abaho Mann. I wanted to do this subject for a long time.

It was to be done in Hindi. But it didn't quite work out. I'm far more comfortable doing it in Bengali with a cast that understands the nuances of the culture where I've located the drama."

In addition to the distinguished cast playing the protagonists Ritu has cast the late Utpal Dutt's wife Shobha Sen as Deepankar De's senile mother. "Somehow I saw her in the role. Utpal Dutt and I seem to be linked. Last year I directed a film based on his play (Last Lear). Now his wife is working with me."

The glamour quotient is provided by Riya Sen who plays Deepankar and Mamta Shankar's son (Jishu Sengupta)'s love interest.

Says Ritu, "I've worked repeatedly with Riya's sister Raima.I was looking for an opportunity to cast Riya for a long time. She's got such lovely features, like her mother Moon Moon. In fact Riya just completed her work and left for Mumbai," informs Ritu from Kolkata.

Riya would be the third Mumbai- based actress after Aishwarya and Bipasha to make her debut in Bengali films with Rituparno.

He completes Abaho Mann in May.