Mani Ratnam's forthcoming film tentatively titled "Raavan" is set to take off after Diwali when Abhishek Bachchan and wife Aishwarya Rai finally start shooting Oct 29. The couple were initially supposed to start shooting Oct 12, a day after father Amitabh Bachchan birthday. But fate had other plans. Amitabh fell ill on the fateful morning before the shooting, leaving his son and bahu with no choice but to cancel the shoot.

A source close to the project said: "Mani made it very clear that there was no rush for Abhishek and Aishwarya to return. Having gone through a personal bereavement very close to his family last year, he now knows family always comes first. There was no pressure on the pair to appear in Kochi for the shooting."

Abhishek was very clear about returning only when his dad's health was completely restored.

And now Abhishek and Aishwarya return to shooting after Diwali, though there are no Diwali celebrations at the Bachchan household this year due to Big B's mother's death.

In the meanwhile, the unit has packed up for Kochi. Ravi Kissan, who plays Abhishek's elder brother, says: "We couldn't do any shooting because all my scenes are with Abhishek."

Incidentally, Big B's schedules would need considerable adjustment when he gets back to work. The project most immediately affected is Leena Yadav's "Teen Patti". Big B was shooting for it when he fell ill.

Says director Leena Yadav: "But Bachchan had taken the day off for his birthday when he fell ill. Very honestly, his health is far more important than any film schedule. We'll resume shooting only when he has recuperated properly."

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