Shooting for Ashutosh Gowarikar’s “Jodha-Akbar” is expected to be over next month and the long awaited film, that the director insists is not a “remix version” of “Mughal-e-Azam”, will be released Oct 12.

Aishwarya and Hrithik have undergone the most gruelling and rugged outdoor experience of their lives. But the horse riding and sword fencing were not entirely a shock.

Is he worried by the utterly contemporary image of his lead pair in “Dhoom 2″? “Not at all! In ‘Dhoom 2′, they are Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. In my film they are Akbar and Jodha. Their personas in ‘Dhoom 2′ are closer to what they really are. Not that I’ve changed their physicality. But audiences will see only the characters.”

The diligent filmmaker is all praise for the pairing. “Hrithik and Ash look really good together in my film. But the full impact will be discernable only when the film releases. The give-and-take between the two as they get into character is amazing.”

The film also stars Sonu Sood, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Suhasini Mulay and Raza Murad.

The director is confident the audience will see exactly the vision in his mind. “I’m working towards it. So far so good. You know, Akbar once decided to not hunt a cheetah because he fell in love with it. Instead he got it to be trained and put next to him in the Diwan-e-Khas. But because of the animal-rights rule I can’t have this shown on screen.

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