MUMBAI: What happens when an actor, who is known to be reticent, gets visibly excited about the presence of a female co-star in the film?

One would think of their interaction on the sets of the film being talk of the town. Talk of the town, it is but for a different reason. The story goes that during the casting of Anil Kapoor's No Problem in May 2009, Akshaye Khanna who is known to be reticent got visibly excited about the prospect of working with Sushmita Sen. Akshaye had said, "Kangna Ranaut is opposite me. However, I am very happy that Sushmita Sen is in the film."

However, once the film's schedule began, Akshaye continued to be a recluse on the sets. Sushmita, who is just the opposite in nature to Akshaye, swung into action, to help her co-star shed his inhibitions. A source from the sets says, "While shooting at Filmistan Studios in Goregaon where they had a 10-day schedule, the only person Akshaye mingled with was Anil Kapoor, with whom he had lunch everyday. Seeing Akshay's reclusive nature, Sushmita, who is well-known to have people give in to her charms, thought upon a neat plan to reach out to the actor. The actress, who believes in Munnabhai's jaddu ki jhappi theory, made a pact with Akshaye. Sushmita told Akshaye that she would greet him with a hug and a 'good morning' everyday and he had to reciprocate the gesture with a hug and a 'good evening' too. As per the plan, Sushmita was seen actually giving Akshaye a warm hug on the sets, after which the actor sported his brightest smile." Although Sushmita was not willing to discuss her secret pact with Akshaye because "then it is no longer a secret", she did confirm about giving the actor a hug. All she says is, "We are in a people's profession yet we hardly ever make the first move to reach out to someone who we don't know too well. I for one am all for reaching out." Sushmita did not want to talk about her arrangement with Akshaye but sources on the sets confirmed the news.