by Subhash K Jha

Ananth Mahadevan doesn't know how to react to the sudden decision of his producer to schedule his film Aksar along- side Suneel Darshan's long-delayed Mere Jeevan Saathi.

"Under normal circumstances Mere Jeevan Saathi would've been such formidable competition. We can never undermine the Akshay Kumar-Suneel Darshan combination. Add to that , the Karima Kapoor-Amisha Patel glamour quotient...This could've been a big threat to Aksar.

"Unfortunately Mere Jeevan Saathi has been inordinately delayed. It's really sad when a film comes too late. In that sense I've been lucky. All my three films have been completed on time. Aksar took just 35 days stretched over a period of four months, that's it."

Ananth describes Aksar as a "pure emotional thriller". Ironically he condemns Emran Hashmi's reputation as the serial kisser, but also confesses that the film has a kissing scene between Emran and Udita Goswami.

"In fact I was very worried about it being perceived as sleazy. To my relief the censor board found it aesthetic. Very frankly, I don't think all those sexy jokes and kisses in Emran's last release Jawani Diwani were necessary. The audience won't stand for irrelevant cheesiness. But I guess Kya Kool Hai Hum has triggered off a risqué mood in our comedies."

Ananth Mahadevan describes Aksar as an "updated Alfred Hitchcock, it's more a how-dunnit than a whodunit. It's a tribute to the film-noire genre. But it isn't a dark brooding thriller. It's got a lot of music in it. But unlike my other two films Dil Vil Pyar Vyar and Yeh Dil Mange More where music and songs were integral to the romantic format, in Aksar how was I to fit in the music in the suspense format? That was the problem.

"One thing we were sure of. Himesh Reshammiya had to compose songs very different what he had done so far. I think the music fits in very well in Aksar. In the past we had great suspense musicals like Bees Saal Baad, Kohra and Gumnam. I can't say Aksar fits into that groove. But yes , it blends music and suspense...though I'd place it more in the genre of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Khamosh."

Most important of all, Aksar is an original piece of work. "We don't have too many original thrillers, do we?" Ananth Mahadevan is upbeat.

After directing Staying Alive, a film based on the late writer Sujit Sen's life, Ananth Mahadevan has now made a film out of Sujit Sen's last script.

"Sujit was a close friend. And when he gave me the script of Aksar he said something he had never said before. He called Aksar a potential hit. I hope to God his words come true."