/> Ranbir has been burning the midnight oil dubbing for his three roles in Bachna Ae Haseenon.

"It's not quite three roles. But equal to three roles. Ranbir has to play age 16, age 24 and finally 30. While the middle part is close to the way he is in body language and speech, playing age 16 and 30 is not easy, not for Ranbir who I've discovered is a bit of a perfectionist, " says director Siddharth Anand.

Years ago when Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan had to get an anguished shout out, he placed his face in a plastic bag and screamed into it. His vocal chords were permanently damaged.

Ranbir isn't doing anything so damaging.

"But intense preparation is his domain, " reveals Siddharth. "You've to see how Ranbir looks in the three phases of his roles. He has different clothes, hair and styling in every phase.

But most important is the way he has used the voice. He has brought different nuances and different speech patterns for each phase in his character's life. For age 16 he speaks faster and in a shrill tone. When you're younger you're more enthusiastic and eager to be heard.

Ranbir looks and sounds as exuberant and restless as a 16-year old. And at 30, though there's no discernible difference in a person's voice quality, you've to hear the differences Ranbir has brought into his voice."

In fact Ranbir welcomed a bout of flu last week so he could dub a heavy dramatic sequence in a gravelly voice. Laughs his pal Siddharth, "That's the kind of actor he is. I've never seen such a hunger for perfection in any actor that age."

Apparently Ranbir's quest for credibility was contagious.

"Bipasha who's professionally senior to to Ranbir looks so well matched with Ranbir. All those who think the two would be mismatched had better be ready for a shock. Ranbir can look compatible with any co-star, " says his loyal director.

Meanwhile the music video for Bachna Ae Haseenon starts airplay on August 1. "It's got so much glamour in it. Those who are expecting the sky, I can only say we're delivering in the film.

As for the film, I'm not afraid of expectations just because some Yashraj films haven't done well. Why should I be? I was more apprehensive when my Salaam Namaste came in the year when Yashraj had three hits Hum Tum, Veer-Zaara and Dhoom."

The story for Bachna Ae Haseenon is written by Aditya Chopra. "The minute Adi told me the story I took it from him and never returned it. While many interludes in Salaam Namaste were borrowed from Hollywood films not one single shot in Bachna... is taken from anywhere. It's completely original."