Inspired from the true event of 1959 when an Indian Navy Commander shot his wife's lover, director Tinu Suresh Desai's Rustom takes us back to a bygone era. Akshay Kumar, Ileana D'Cruz, Esha Gupta and Arjan Bajwa star in this thriller that has piqued the audience's curiosity from the time the first trailer was released. Subsequently, songs like Tere Sang Yaara, Dekha Hazaro Dafaa and Rustom Vahi have added to the buzz about the movie.

Akshay, who plays Naval Officer Rustom Pavri, says, “The way we've looked at an extra marital affair in Rustom is very different from how most Hindi films in the past have portrayed it. The movie shows what happens when the woman slips.“ He adds, “Playing a guy who sees his wife having an affair and finding out what happens to him intrigued me. It is a very sensitive subject and there are other interesting layers as well, which you will find out when you watch the film.“

Ileana couldn't take up Special 26 with Akshay when it was first offered to her. However, she immediately agreed when Rustom came her way. She says, “The role of Cynthia is challenging and I liked the way it's presented. We shot in some really picturesque locations. While I didn't get a chance to interact with defence officers in real life, I got to meet some jawans while shooting in Ladakh, and it was a wonderful experience.“

Esha found it a little taxing to pull off the character of Priti Makhija. She says, “Priti is a snob and can't take 'no' for an answer. During the readings, Tinu sir told me, 'Think that the world is below you and always hold your chin up.' Priti knows she is beautiful and men are checking her out. She is not shy of her body; so I had to ensure my body language was powerful, classy and not crass.“


BEHIND THE SCENES
- Tinu managed to get actual footage of the Bombay of 1959, shot by a documentary filmmaker, which proved to be big help for him. Besides, production designer Priya Suhas, costume designer Ameira Punwani and cinematographer Santosh Thundiiayil also contributed with their research on how people from different strata of society lived, dressed, worked and travelled during the late 50s.

- Shooting the scenes with a war ship on the dockyard was difficult. The team sourced two ships from that era to London and recreated the Bombay dockyard there for the sequence.

- On the day Akshay was to shoot on the warship, the London unit, quoting weather reports, predicted heavy rains from the afternoon for the next two days. Fortunately for the team, it was bright and sunny, helping them film without any worry.


- One of toughest scenes was shot in a small police station room with Pawan Malhotra and an illustrator making sketches of six characters as they replaced one another in a chair. This was a single take shot showing how the day changed ­ from morning to night as they made sketches.

- Arjan was nervous about doing action scenes with Akshay, whom he idolises. The superstar helped him overcome the anxiety and shoot the scene with ease.

- With other Punjabi actors like Pawan and Kumud Mishra (of Airlift fame) on the set, besides Akshay and Arjan, the atmosphere would be cheerful and vibrant. Not to forget, the actors chatting in Punjabi would have others wondering what they were laughing about.

- Ileana followed her director's instructions and her dialogue sheet to the T. She didn't change even a single word while shooting her scenes.

- Akshay often pulled a fast one on his unsuspecting colleagues and crew members to lighten the atmosphere on the sets. Once, he fired a bullet in the floor, much to everyone's shock.

- On the last day of the shoot, Esha baked a huge cake for the team.

DIRECTOR'S TAKE: TINU SURESH DESAI
What makes Rustom interesting is that it has all the elements of commercial cinema - romance, music, comedy, controversy, thrills, drama - with a very real feel. Recently, Akshay spoke about how after seeing this film, couples who are planning to go their separate ways will rethink their decision and work to save their marriage. It doesn't matter how many difficult situations come up, couples can fight them and live together peacefully - this is one of the points the movie stresses on.

Rustom, produced by Zee Studios and Kriarj Entertainment in association with Cape Of Good Films and Plan C, releases August 12.