Dia Mirza with Akshay Kapoor in town on Saturday. Picture by Aranya Sen

When photographer Subi Samuel called her up one fine morning expressing a wish to meet her, Dia Mirza thought it must be a quick chat for another of his photo-shoots. But when Subi landed up at her place with director Ashu Trikha in tow, she knew there was something more to it than what had met her ear.

?What you guys doing??

?We are producing a movie and we want you in it.?

A ?shell-shocked? Dia took some time to take it in. ?After that initial surprise, I really felt happy for Subi? It was a big progress from what he had done. He always wanted to move to film production from fashion and film photography. And now he was actually executing his dreams.?

For co-star and Alag lead Akshay Kapoor, the film came as a ?renaissance? after the debacle named Popcorn Khao! Mast Ho Jao a couple of years back. ?I consider myself blessed that I got another chance,? he admits. ?A role like this comes once in a lifetime and I am well aware that a lot is riding on my shoulders.?

Alag tells the story of Tejas (Akshay) who has been kept confined in some corner of the house by his father for 18 years because ?he is not normal?. After his father?s death, he comes out in the open but is immediately labelled an outcast because of the way he looks ? he has no hair on his body ? and behaves.

Purva (Dia), daughter of a philanthropist, is his only hope as she takes up the challenge of bringing him into mainstream society.

?It was creatively very satisfying,? says director Ashu, whose earlier two films Deewanapan and Sheesha did not work at the box-office. ?Since Subi is a close friend, we were able to connect on an equal platform. The enthusiasm in the project shows in every frame.?

What also shows in most frames is Akshay?s complete ?hairless? act in the movie. ?When they were shaving off even my eyebrows and doing away with the lashes, I was wondering whether they would ever grow back again and if yes, how long would it take,? comes the confession. ?Then I went on to fall in love with my look. It was so easy to maintain ? you didn?t need to wash your hair!?

For Dia, Akshay was a welcome break as a co-star. ?When I first met him with his heavy American accent, I thought he must be one of those spoilt brats but he turned out to be one of those few self-assured men,? she describes. ?He has very high expectations of himself and is never satisfied till he achieves those standards.?

In Dia, Akshay found someone who could guide him through the filmi equations on the sets. ?She was my wonderful safety net,? he laughs. ?While Alag was only my second film, she has done loads of movies already. So, Dia was this great support system for me. She did try to bully me, though, claiming that she was the senior actor around, but it was all great fun.?

But will this relatively small special effects movie, releasing on June 16, be able to take on the other superhero film, the colossal Krrish, that arrives a week later on June 23?

?I have made this conscious effort to make Alag an underdog story,? clarifies Ashu. ?Tejas sure is capable of doing a lot of special things but we have concentrated on the human heart. See, you have seen all the ?mans? ? Spiderman, Superman, Batman ? now watch this man.?

?My character?s inner soul is the best part about this man,? asserts Akshay. ?He does have lots of powers like photographic memory and electricity but at the end of the day, he is like a sacrificing superhero? I haven?t seen Krrish but for me to be compared with an established star like Hrithik Roshan is a huge compliment.?

Dia sounds the most confident among the Alag team that visited Calcutta on Saturday. ?I am telling you everybody?s going to love Akshay?s character,? she announces with a broad smile. ?Come on, there?s no way you cannot like this guy. He does look very different in the film with not a single strand of hair on his body. But it wasn?t difficult for me to fall in love with him. Looks really don?t matter after a certain point of time.?

But it wasn?t easy getting into the mind of Tejas. To feel some of the pain of being in isolation for 18 years, Akshay actually locked himself up in his room much before the shooting schedules began and also disconnected his phone and television. ?Thankfully, my family and friends stay in the US, so that wasn?t a problem,? he reveals.

?Even during the shoot, I would just go to the sets and come back home. I used to go to the gym after midnight, so as not to bump into anybody. The only time I actually went out was for a stroll on Bandra?s Linking Road to gauge the general reaction to my hairless look.?

Ashu sums it up: ?Alag is no art or parallel film, it is just a different form of entertainment within the folds of commercial cinema.?

This unit is such a happy family that Subi is already planning his next film with Ashu, Akshay and Dia. And while it may not be another sci-fi film ? ?it?s an emotional thriller? ? it is sure going to be something different.