Eyebrows shot up when "Dil Jo Bhi Kahey", actor-turned-producer Romesh Sharma's launch pad for his son Karan, was pulled out of the scheduled Sep 2 release.

Why this last-minute withdrawal when everything including a lavish premiere had been planned?

Explains the courteous producer Romesh Sharma. "'Dil Jo Bhi Kahey' had to be shifted because of 'No Entry'. Earlier Boney Kapoor's film was scheduled for Aug 26 while we were to come a week later.

"But we heard that 'No Entry' was being postponed by a week. We didn't want to come with 'No Entry', especially since 'Salaam Namaste' was scheduled for release on Sep 9," Sharma told IANS.

"I thought if 'No Entry' got further postponed, my son's film would be sandwiched between two big films. Now of course I believe 'No Entry' is coming this Friday. But I don't regret the postponement. The distributors are with me. They thought the film and its music needed more time to grow."

Now with Ram Gopal Varma launching his latest star discovery Mohit Ahlawat in "James" in style, Romesh's son Karan will have to reckon with direct comparison with the debutant.

Romesh shrugs: "We've done our best. And there's nothing more we can do. I know a non-star son is judged more kindly than a boy from within the industry. I didn't know Karan wanted to be an actor. He was actually studying in Britain for two years. I was shooting a French series 'C'est La Vie' in Mauritius. He ended up acting in the serial. That's when I came to know he was interested in a film career."

"Dil Jo Bhi Kahey" is a very young film.

"When I went to drop my son to his college in Britain, I was amazed to see a condom machine in the campus corridor. Now why didn't I ever attend this college?

"Though 'Dil Jo Bhi Kahey' doesn't have sex, it's a very 'now' film. It has the direct straight-off attitude of the young. It's a love story between an Indian boy and British girl who are studying together overseas."

Romesh, who acted in art-house films like "Parinay" with Shabana Azmi and "Doosri Sita" with Jaya Bhaduri in the early 1970s, admits he wants his son to have all the privileges that he himself couldn't have.

"And why not? I don't deny Karan has a golden spoon in his mouth. Doesn't every father do his best for his son? I've gone through the grind. And I want him to have everything that I couldn't.

"I was apprehensive about his acting abilities. But 'Dil Jo Bhi Kahey' wasn't made to launch Karan or because it gave me a chance to work with my very close friend Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan. I first wrote the story and then Karan was a popular choice for the lead because by then he had become extremely popular in Mauritius thanks the French TV serial.

"That training he got on television was what earned him the role in 'Dil Jo Bhi Kahey.' To make the film viable I requested Amitji to play my son's father.

"After all we go back a long way. And since virtually everyone in the film was new, I needed him to add substance to the project. He agreed immediately."

The proud producer raves about Amitabh Bachchan's pairing with Revathy.

"I wanted Jayaji to play my son's mother. But she was busy with the parliament. Then I suggested Revathy. Amitji magnanimously called her up and offered her the role on my behalf. The chemistry between them is amazing...

"Amitji was like a big brother on the sets. He took care of me and of the film. He has watched Karan grow up. I can't describe what he contributes to the script. He takes the script to another level."

Romesh then reveals his Mauritian connection.

"My wife is from Mauritius. So I'm treated like a son-in-law in Mauritius. All the films I've produced - 'Aitbaar', 'Diljala' and 'Hum' - have been shot in Mauritius. I've a very warm support system in that country. We shot 'Dil Jo Bhi Kahey' for 21 days in Stockholm, the rest in Mauritius."

"Dil Jo Bhi Kahey" is also special because Romesh turns director with the film.

"It was long due. People say this film is for Karan. But it's something I wanted to do. No one knows this, but in the 1980s, I started directing Anil Kapoor from a script by Javed Akhtar. That project fell through...

"I also got stuck as producer when my film 'Bandhu' in Hindi and Bengali had no buyers. After that I went through a long period of struggle. I produced a number of films.

"Then I got sucked into television. My serial 'Ajnabee' lasted for five years. I never shot 'Ajnabee' like a TV serial but a feature film. Now directing my first feature film has been relatively easy. I've had years of training. It's taken a lot from me. But it's done."

A look at the list of star-sons who were launched by their fathers:

Rishi Kapoor in "Mera Naam Joker", Sanjay Dutt in "Rocky", Kumar Gaurav in "Love Story", Sunny Deol in "Betaab", Akshaye Khanna in "Himalayputra", Aamir Khan in "Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak", Fardeen Khan in "Prem Aggan" and Hrithik Roshan in "Kaho Na...Pyar Hai".

And those star-sons who did it on their own: Salman Khan in "Maine Pyar Kiya", Kunal (Manoj Kumar) Goswami in "Kalaakaar", Abhishek Bachchan in "Refugee", Tusshar Kapoor in "Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai" and Zayed Khan in "Chura Liya Hai Tumne".