Not without my 27 heroes!

Subhash K Jha

There are 27 leading men in J P Dutta's under-production war epic LoC. "They are all very much on," the director asserts.

Here's a look at the leading men: Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Nagarjuna, Saif Ali Khan, Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Manoj Bajpai, Karan Nath, Sanjay Kapoor, Ashutosh Rana, Raj Babbar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Bikram Saluja, Munish (Armaan) Kohli, Himanshu Malik, Amar Updhayay, Puru Raj Kumar, Inder Kumar, Mohnish Behl, Ashish Vidyarthi, Kiran Kumar, Ayub Khan, Sudesh Berry, Salil Ankola, Raj Zutshi and Rajeev Goswami.

Dutta's most ambitious war epic has been dogged by controversy ever since it went into production in October 2001 with a song recording. Though all J P's colleagues, well-wishers and friends turned up at the film's mahurat rumours about changes and reduction in the film's vast cast began when one of the film's prominent cast member Abhishek Bachchan did not show up for the occasion.

"I was shooting outside Mumbai for Rohan Sippy's Kuch Na Kaho. There was no way I could get away for even a day," explained Abhishek later on. "J P saab is like family. I love him to death. I would never do anything to hurt him."

There was also a rumour, again unfounded, that Shah Rukh Khan had opted out of the film because J P refused to furnish him with a hardbound script. As one of the film's leading men said, "Who has ever asked J P for a script? Under normal circumstances, I am very particular about the script. But with J P, I just surrender unquestioningly. The man is a genius. I know he will do full justice to me and to the rest of the cast."

Rumours about one or the other member of the huge cast's exit from LoC persists even now. A Mumbai newspaper recently reported that Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan dropped out of the project. Both actors have since written letters to the trade papers denying the rumours as baseless and illogical since they have already shot for one schedule of the film in Simla and are preparing themselves for the next schedule in March.

Explains J P, "None of the cast members dropped out of the film once we proceeded to shoot in Simla. Just before we left, Rahul Khanna opted out. We replaced him with Sanjay Kapoor. Rajat Bedi too couldn't do LoC at the last minute due to date problems. That's it. The rest of the cast remains unchanged. All my boys who play soldiers from Kargil functioned as one unit in Simla."

Even as J P and his efficient wife Bindiya prepare for the next and most crucial schedule of LoC in Ladakh from March 1 to March 30, rumours persist about the film. Says Bindiya, "People can say what they like. Nothing will stop J P from his homage to the soldiers who fought that brave war in Kargil. It is his dream project and he is putting every penny he has earned into making this film."

Since travelling to Ladakh is difficult and expensive, the Duttas plan to charter a plane out with their 100-strong crew. Meanwhile, J P's office in Andheri, suburban Mumbai, is a beehive of activity. Bindiya holds fort. Their two daughters have to be sent off to school, the cook has to be instructed about the day's menu before she heads to the office for the day's appointments and engagements.

Members of the cast, from Suniel Shetty to Avtar Gill walk in and out to discuss their clothes and schedules. No one discusses money with J P. Himanshu Malik who has a chunky role and who enjoyed the stint in Simla says, "Money? You mad or what! The fact that I get to be part of this amazing project is reward enough for me."

J P looks worried. The lines on his face have deepened. Telling a story that involves the biggest ever human creative and natural resources has him tense and anxious. "This year, I turned 51. By next year, I think I will be 60," J P laughs as he switches on Alka Yagnik’s theme song about soldiers leaving behind their homes to go to the battle front.