No wonder everyone heaved a sigh of relief when the jungle schedule was finally over.
Mani Ratnam finished shooting in the jungles of Kerala on Saturday. On Sunday while his unit shifted to a new location in Ooty Abhishek rushed off to Dubai with his director Rakeysh Mehra.
Says Abhishek, "This wouldn't have been possible if we weren't for the fact that we wrapped up shooting at one location and we were moving to another location. So that gave me manoeuvring power."
It has been a time of breathless traveling back and forth for the young actor. A week earlier he made a flying one-day visit from Kerala to see his mother who was unwell.
"It's not so much the distance but the inaccessibility. Out there in the jungles me and Aishwarya were totally cut off from Mumbai and the rest of the world. That really had us worried about the family."
Abhishek also missed out on the post-success events for Dostana. "I really don't know how well Dostana finally did. I just flew in to do the press interviews and flew back to the jungles."
It's not just Abhishek and Aishwarya who are worried about accessibility. Directors have been desperately trying to reach the couple. Sanjay Leela Bhansali needs to lock in on Aishwarya's dates.
Says Vipul Shah, "I've been trying to contact Aishwarya for weeks. She's totally unreachable. I'm willing to fly down wherever she is. Now if she's moving to Ooty she'd be more accessible."
Abhishek left for Dubai early Sunday morning for the ongoing Dubai Film Festival with his director Rakeysh Mehra. The film's leading lady Sonam Kapoor had reached the previous evening. But Abhishek had no time. Or choice. He was in Dubai for a few hours only before he rushed back to Ooty in time for Ratnam's next schedule.
Notwithstanding a severe chest congestion induced by the gruelling shooting conditions in the jungles of Kerala Abhishek was shooting non-stop for Mani's film.
The visit to Dubai was a must. "The entire international media was there in Dubai and Rakeysh Mehra showed the teaser trailer of Dilli 6. There's no way I could've missed that,"said Abhishek about his Chandni Chowk saga that releases on Feb. 20, a month after Akshay Kumar's Chandni Chowk To China.