"I was with writer Amol Shetge and [filmmaker] Mahesh Bhatt in a meeting," he says, "when Amol told me about someone in his family who was speaking with a dead person. I knew someone like that in my family too. Soon, we found every fourth man's family had gone through this. I thought, why not make a film on this subject? Thus, Saaya was born."
Also Read: John Abraham shines in Saaya
Basu began his career in the mid-1990s as director of Zee TV's highly successful soap, Tara. He then went on to direct the popular Koshish -- Ek Aasha and, now, Mitti on the same channel.
Basu admits he had misgivings about casting John Abraham in his film. "Frankly, I was of the opinion that models could not be good actors. But Bhattsaab told me to watch his Jism [Abraham, Bipasha Basu]. I thought he was too good in it."
Saaya is about a man who cannot come to terms with his wife's death. It has been shot in Kerala and Delhi.
"I think Tara [Sharma, the heroine] suits the role [as Abraham's wife] perfectly. She was in London at the time. We were lucky to get her," says Basu.
Asked whether Saaya is lifted from Hollywood's Dragonfly [Kevin Costner, Sussana Thompson], he says, "Someone told me it is a remake of Hollywood's Ghost [Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore]. That is not true. Saaya is neither Dragonfly nor Ghost. I have seen those films. I am not a Film Institute graduate, but I have learnt how to make films. Watch Saaya and judge for yourself."
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