Blue: An underwater adventure

Cast Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Zayed Khan, Katrina Kaif, Rahul De
Director Anthony D'Souza
Rating TBA

The makers of Blue claim this is Bollywood's first underwater adventure, not many are aware that in 1978, Sanjay Khan (Zayed's father) made the forgettable flick Sona Chandi that dealt with the same theme.

The plot
Aarav (Kumar), a sophisticated businessman, teams up with his employee Sagar (Dutt) to unearth a treasure hidden in the deadly Pacific Ocean. Sagar brings his lady Mona (Dutta) and his estranged brother Sam (Khan) along for the treasure hunt. Before they find the treasure they have to fight deadly sharks and the bad guys, as well as overcome their own past demons.

Overcoming hydrophobia
All the actors undertook extensive swimming training. Dutta, who suffered from hydrophobia, not only got rid of her fear of water but also managed to attain a professional diving certificate after completing her training in Thailand. "I felt my life was at stake when I was offered a project that dealt with underwater adventure. But I'm glad I took it as I managed to get my rid of my fear," says Dutta.

It is also reported that since Dutt wasn't comfortable shooting in the ocean, some scenes were shot in swimming pools.

Underwater visual treat
Blue promises to showcase the ocean in a new light. Talking about the challenges of shooting underwater, D'Souza says, "It was certainly a huge challenge. Firstly, we could only communicate through sign language! Secondly, we needed to find the best possible spot with beautiful creatures around, and then there was the limited control over lighting. We were able to achieve it all thanks to our expert cinematographers and the dedication of our stars."

Hollywood meets Bollywood
D'Souza has managed to rope in the best of both Bollywood and Hollywood. In the LA contingent is specialist cinematographer Pete Zuccarini, who captured the wild underwater shots. He has worked on Hollywood blockbusters like Pirates Of The Caribbean and Deep Blue Sea. The film's fast-paced action was put in place by action director James Bomalick, who provided the adrenaline rush in The Fast and The Furious - Tokyo Drift.

The action-packed underwater flick is backed by A.R. Rahman's music and Resul Pookutty's sound design. Kylie Minogue teams up with Rahman for the track Chiggy Wiggy, and this is definitely one of the film's highlights. "Blue is an exciting and challenging project, as it has a unique theme. But the icing on the cake is teaming up with Kylie Minogue," adds Rahman.

With so much hype surrounding Blue, the mega-budget film will definitely be remembered: the question is whether it will be for being a trendsetting blockbuster or a colossal disaster!

Film File