Behl’s face, however, defies any anxiety over the release, rather he seems pretty relieved. Maybe Raj Thackeray’s decision on Thursday to withdraw his agitation against the Bachchan family has something to do with it. “I just watched Thackeray’s announcement on television. It’s over,” he says. With the film starring Abhishek and mother Jaya Bachchan, he had reasons to worry over the MNS protests.

The concerns were not purely professional. The director’s relationship with Bollywood’s newest superhero, Abhishek Bachchan, goes back to their childhood days. “Abhishek is like my younger brother. I would like to cast him in all my movies,” says Behl. He is repeating the actor as the lead in Drona, along with Priyanka Chopra, after his directorial debut Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai (2001).

The film, Behl promises, has a once-upon-a-time feel to it. To ensure that Tom Delmar (of Troy fame) was roped in to choreograph the action sequences, London-based sword master Richard Ryan to train the lead actors and 250 artists were engaged for visual effects.

The storyline follows the simple philosophy that everybody is born with a purpose. In the case of Abhishek’s character, it is to carry forward the legacy of Drona (the protectors of society). This realization helps turn this boy-next-door character into a superhero and pits him against the larger-than-life evil magician (Kay Kay Menon). “The film will be a blend of the worlds of Amar Chitra Katha and Sin City,” Behl says.

Achieving this meant pumping in crores. Though the budget is reported to have touched Rs 60 crore, Behl refuses to confirm. “Sunil Lulla (Producer of Eros) can answer this. We have gone by the demand of the script.” Filming Drona has taken him to Prague, Kanamachi, Bikaner and Namibia in the last two years. “We started shooting in December 2006 in Prague. I wanted to capture its winter,” he says. The film, which is having a simultaneous overseas release, was also shot in Mumbai, where five grand sets were created.

By deciding to make films, Goldie took over his family business. But it happened under grim circumstances when his father, producer Ramesh Behl, died. The responsibility of completing Indrajeet fell on him. He later assisted Mahesh Bhatt for Angaarey, on whose sets he met his wife Sonali Bendre.

The association with Bhatt has been rewarding in other ways also; from him Behl picked up quite a few tricks of filmmaking. Mukul Anand and JP Dutta too have helped in shaping his understanding of cinema.