Every year, sitting in Kolkata, Rituparno Ghosh manages to pull together an entire cast of Bollywood A-listers for one of his annual ventures.

His latest attempt, Antar Mahal, is set in 1878 Bengal. The Bengali movie premiered at the Locarno Film Festival earlier this year and earned Jackie Shroff a nomination in the Best Actor category. Antar Mahal is touted to be Ghosh's boldest film yet, with a potent mixture of religion, sex and politics. Ghosh says he wasn't gunning for a sensational film, but "through its depiction of Indian history, it reflects the true spirit of courage. It talks about the pressures of gender, religion and and colonial forces that spark off big and small rebellions."

Like all Ghosh movies, this one too was a casting see-saw. Initially, Manisha Koirala, Anil Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor were supposed to play pivotal roles. Koirala left the film because of a graphic seduction scene. There were rumours that Ghosh had asked for nudity. The director flatly denies it, "There wasn't any nude scene. It is impossible under the Indian censorship law. Manisha was smarting from the controversy over Ek Chhoti Si Love Story and was uncomfortable about exposure," he says.

Ghosh says his treatment of the scene, which now features Roopa Ganguly, is a mixture of eroticism and black humour. "Antar Mahal is a sexy film without any skin," he says.

The film will be a treat for all Abhishek Bachchan fans since the rising star is shirtless during the entire film.

"I was the first one who saw his sensuality... and vulnerability." Ghosh decided to cast him after Yuva. "It was his big eyes and softness that convinced me rather than his sex appeal," he says.

Antar Mahal came from Ghosh's research for the Aishwarya Rai starrer Chokher Bali. It is based on a short story by Tara Shankar Banerjee. Ghosh liked the way Banerjee weaved art into a rural backdrop.