by Subhash K Jha

The fact that Abhishek Bachchan has been compelled to postpone his schedule for J.P. Dutta's Umrao Jaan in Rajasthan in order to be near his father isn't of insurmountable consequence for the Movie Moghul.

"Of course Abhishek's absence has made a difference. He's extremely integral to the shooting. And those who think his role is secondary to Aishwarya and therefore less time-consuming don't know what they're talking about."

Maybe the analysts from the outside are comparing Abhishek's role with Farouq Shaikh who played the same role in Muzaffar Ali's Umrao Jaan.

"I haven't seen Muzaffar Ali's version. And I'm tired of saying my characters aren't based on that film but on a script that my father O.P. Dutta wrote twenty years ago. According to this version, Abhishek has plenty to do. Yes, we're managing without him. But no time is being wasted."

"I'm shooting scenes with the rest of the cast—Puru Raj Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Ayesha Jhulka, Divya Dutta and Ash. Hopefully , Abhishek will join us soon. But he must be with his dad now. Any filmmaker affected by such a setback would very willingly make the necessary adjustments. And we're talking about the Amitabh Bachchan. His health concerns every Indian."

The scenes being shot at the moment are centred on Aishwarya Rai. "She's truly the epitome of grace," says JP. "What she's doing to Umrao's part boggles the mind."