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Asked why he cast Abhishek in a role that required a huge historical and chronological journey, Ratnam told IANS: 'Abhishek was the first choice for 'Guru' and I am very happy about his work.

'I think he is growing remarkably as an actor. If you shift me back to the start and ask me who you will cast as 'Guru' I will go back to Abhishek.'

Though the film has some uncanny resemblances to the life of late industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani, Ratnam insists the plot is rooted in cinematic reality. 'Hopefully, it'll have some connect with real life,' said Ratnam.

This is also the second time Ratnam has worked with Aishwarya Rai.

'I was quite happy with what Aishwarya did in 'Irruvar'. I thought she was quite remarkable, given that it was her first film and in a language (Tamil) that she did not know. In 'Guru' she was speaking Hindi, so it must have been much easier for her.

Ratnam says Aishwarya has done the role with a lot of dignity and poise.

'She remained very close to the character and has done it with ease. In a film that is based on 'Guru' she stands tall and strong.'

Ratnam has finished the film in a record time.

Why the rush? Is it because he needed to get into Aamir Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer 'Lajjo' right away?

'No rush at all! I'm just doing work that I am paid to do. It was planned as a single-schedule film and we finished our major work by June end. The Aamir-Kareena film has now been rescheduled to the second half of 2007.'

Looking back, does Ratnam see 'Yuva' as an experience that did not connect as much with the audience as he hoped it would?

He refuses to find excuses for the film's failure.

'There is always room to try something new. Be it in content or form or look. And when you try something new there is always a chance that that it may not connect fully with the audience. That is a risk that a filmmaker has to take.

'If you take the credit when it works, you have to take the blame when a film flops. But that should not stop you from growing and take a few more steps ahead. That's where 'Guru' has taken me.'

R. Madhavan, Mithun Chakrabarty and Vidya Balan will also be seen in the film with the lead pair.

While trade insiders debate the question, chances are that Abhishek will hit bull's eye with this film where he stars with Aishwarya Rai in a story loosely based on the life of business tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani, whose endeavours opened gates for new players in a market dominated by handful of privileged people.

Abhishek has good chances of succeeding as he has teamed up with a director of Ratnam's calibre. The actor was languishing before Ratnam's 'Yuva' happened to him and gave a fillip to his career.

Set in the 1950s and moving through the decades till the present, 'Guru' focuses on an ambitious villager Gurukant Desai (Abhishek) who dreams big and moves to Mumbai with his wife Sujata (Aishwarya Rai) and brother-in-law Shyam Saxena (R. Madhavan) to fulfil his dreams.

When he reaches Mumbai, his only assets are two shirts and Rs.15,000. Much to his dismay, he realises that the business world is a closed community ruled by a handful of rich and influential people who don't believe in giving opportunities to new players.

But he forces his way in with righteous anger and the desire to achieve his goals. He sometimes has to go against the law, which earns him foes but his fairness also wins him admirers like Meenu (Vidya Balan).

Nanaji (Mithun), who runs a newspaper Swatantra, is initially impressed by the aggressively ambitious Guru. However, when he learns that his means to make it big are not pure, he decides to stand up to fight Guru's unjust ways.

The film has all the right ingredients for its success at the box office, except perhaps Aishwarya who has disappointed fans in 'Umrao Jaan' and 'Dhoom 2'. Abhishek's chemistry with Aishwarya is not as appealing as rumours of their off screen romance.

The film also has Mallika Sherawat, who makes a special appearance in a dance number.

Ratnam's previous Hindi release, the gripping 'Yuva', won critical acclaim but lost out in the box office. The director might just make up the loss with 'Guru'.