By Subhash K. Jha, IANS

This is one fishy tale that Rituparno Ghosh could've done without. The director was forced to call off the shooting for the Hindi-Bengali bilingual "Sunglass" with Jaya Bachchan in a crowded fish market because of unwieldy crowds.

The incident took place Friday, when security guards spread the rumour that Amitabh Bachchan was coming to the location.

Recalling the incident, Ghosh told IANS: "Of course, I was aware that Jaya di is very popular in Kolkata. But I had gotten away with shooting in a crowded market place when Aishwarya Rai shot for 'Chokher Bali'.

"We thought we'd zip in and zip out, shots duly canned. But you know what they say about man proposing and god and fans disposing."

Hundreds of clamorous fans descended on the venue.

"Making the situation worse was our security guards who spread the news that Amit da was also coming there. Chants of 'Amitabh...Jaya!' filled the air. Then I knew we were in for trouble."

The shooting in the fish market was cancelled.

"We went to my home and ate fish instead," chuckled Ghosh recalling the weeklong absolutely memorable experience of shooting with his most favourite actor.

Jaya plays a schoolteacher and Konkona Sen Sharma features as her daughter in the film.

"The next day, on Saturday, things went so well in a St. James School. She was so comfortable in the surroundings, she bonded with the students and teachers instinctively and blended into the school as though she belonged there.

"Her commitment to the project was more than anything I had ever seen. She took all of us under her wings and became the mother figure. After a break she would shoo us back into work, 'Come come time for work. Lunch over.'

"She actually climbed on the sofa to arrange the Kali paintings on the wall. Jaya di became one of the unit! I've never felt such warmth in any of my actors before."

Ghosh got so attached to Jaya he didn't want the shooting to end.

"On the last day when we shot in the school, I found myself delaying the shots. It was my own childish way of fobbing off her inevitable departure. But she couldn't be kept back any longer.

"Jaya di wanted to be back home in Mumbai in time to receive Amit da, who was returning from London. She quickly postponed her return to accommodate us for another day. I don't think I've bonded better with any other actor I've worked with."

Jaya even 'adopted' a manual rickshaw-puller.

"At first she was wary of getting into a hand pulled rickshaw. She found it inhuman. But when she realised her character needed to do it, she formed a rapport with the guy we had hired to do the needful. They travelled together conversing very normally."

Talking about her performance, Ghosh says that she slipped under her character effortlessly.

"Jaya di just blended into her role. I can't say she looked like Konkona's perfect mother because I know Konkona's real mother (Aparna Sen) too well. But they make a thoroughly convincing mother-daughter pair and Pradeep Sarkar (who has cast them as mother-daughter again) will soon get to know."

Any glitches?

"None! Jaya di was an absolute dream. You won't get to see Jaya Bachchan in 'Sunglass'. You'll see Jaya Bhaduri.

"Yes, there was one bone of contention between us. And that was the size of her bindi. Jaya di wears very small bindis. I wanted her to wear much larger ones.

"She reluctantly agreed after grumbling, 'Ritu, you don't like my face. That's why you want to hide it under a large bindi.' But she finally agreed. She has never looked the way she does in 'Sunglass'."

As for Jaya's Bengali, Ghosh says: "Yes she is rusty with the language. But that worked to my advantage. We gave the character a peculiarly indeterminate profile. We don't know where she comes from, or what she really wants."