The table is set for one of the biggest Diwali gambles and the stakes are high. Big stars, spell binding cinematography and a lot of underwater action sum up Anthony D'Souza's directorial debut "Blue". Releasing Friday, it has already generated a huge buzz.

Produced and distributed by Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd, the marine thriller stars Askhay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Lara Dutta, Zayed Khan and Katrina Kaif along with Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue in a cameo.

Made at a budget of approximately Rs.80 crore (Rs.800 million), the film is also one of the most expensive movies of the country.

Set in the Bahamas and Bangkok, it revolves around complex relationships shared amongst the lead characters and their search for a lost underwater treasure.

Sagar (Sanjay) and Sam (Zayed) are brothers, who find a friend in Aarav (Akshay) - a manipulative and scheming business-tycoon. Mona (Lara) is Sagar's love interest and Nikki (Katrina) is a free-spirited individual with an ulterior motive.

Emotions and motives run deep in the movie and greed and betrayals take over and threaten to destroy the very existence of the characters.

With high-octane sequences and death-defying stunts, "Blue" also boasts of never seen before adrenaline pumping visuals and stunts.

Apparently Akshay plays the villain in the movie, a third time in his career after playing negative shades in movies like "Khiladi 420" and "Aflatoon".

"Sanjay Dutt is the hero of the film and I am the villain... The subject is such that there has to be a hero and a villain in the film and I fill in the slot of the latter, " Akshay had said.

The actors didn't mind going into the deep for the shooting, but they did face a real challenge when they had to swim around sharks while filming.

"Just the idea of swimming around with these unpredictable beasts (sharks) was difficult. We always had our trainers and divers around, " Zayed had told.

While Akshay took diving lessons and earned a certificate for himself, Lara toned herself up and learnt to swim.

The film's music is already topping the charts courtesy composer A.R. Rahman. The online advance bookings opened close to 15 days before and the multiplexes have been buzzing with queries for "Blue".

A lucrative period for movie business, Diwali also has two other big-budget releases "Main Aurr Mrs Khanna" and "All The Best - Fun Begins". It is to be seen if "Blue" manages to live up to its expectations and continue with the legacy of a Diwali hit, as most of the big-budget movies that release on or during that time are hits.