Arjun tries magic diet on 'The Last Lear' team

Mumbai, Oct 27 (IANS) Shooting of 'The Last Lear' would be memorable for all the main players for many reasons. For one, they all lost a lot of weight, thanks to Arjun Rampal who wanted to put his co-stars on the General Motors crash diet.

While Amitabh Bachchan firmly declined the offer, Preity Zinta and director Rituparno Ghosh took on the challenge. While Preity continues to follow it even after shooting, Ritu chickened out after a few days thanks to the timely warning by Shefali Shah.

'I liked the idea of losing weight. But after a few days I realised I was going about it the wrong way. I was wondering whether I should start afresh. But then Shefali advised me against it. And I gave it up,' Ghosh told IANS.

What Ghosh will always remember about the shooting for 'The Last Lear' is Divya Dutta's kind medication.

'She gave me medicines for my diabetes, recommended by her mother who's a practising doctor. I'll never forget Divya's gesture. 'The Last Lear' has been a memorable experience on many counts. Most importantly, it gave me a chance to work with talent like Amitda, Shefali, Divya, Preity and Arjun. I felt like a child in a toy store.'

Apparently, during one of the shooting schedules, Ghosh covered his shaven pate with a wig meant for Amitabh and romped all over.

Laughed Ghosh: 'We called it Amitda's Lalu Yadav wig. I wore it and strode around nonchalantly. People looked at me as though I had lost it. Amitda was full of 'masti' throughout the shooting.'