KHEL, produced by Popcorn Motion Pictures P. Ltd. and Galaxy Entertainment Corp. Ltd., marks the directorial debut of Yusuf Khan, who's a well-known editor.

“It's not one of those typical commercial films,” Suniel Shetty tells me at the very outset, “There's logic behind every incident that takes place in the film. We worked doubly hard on the script, primarily to ensure that the viewer doesn't feel cheated while watching the film.”

Suniel is enacting dual roles as far as KHEL goes – that of a producer as well as the main lead, sharing the frame with Sunny Deol and cricketer Ajay Jadeja, who makes his bow as an actor with this multi-starrer.

The casting was arrived at after a lot of thought. Says Yusuf, “The stars in the film were not cast just to enhance the viability of the project. They've been cast because they suit the roles.” Incidentally, KHEL was the first film Celina Jaitley signed, but she started shooting for Feroz Khan's JANASHEEN first.

“Actually,” Prakash Khubchandani of Popcorn tells me, “We completed the film so fast [within three months] only because the artistes were bowled by the subject. That is the raaz of releasing the film within 7-8 months of its launch.”

The synopsis –

KHEL tells the story of two thick friends – Dev Mallya [Suniel Shetty] and Rohan Poddar [Ajay Jadeja].

Dev is a business tycoon who is known to rub shoulders with the rich and famous. He has an undying passion to be the most successful businessman, not only in his city, but also in the country. On the other hand, Rohan is a simpleton, someone who is not overly ambitious.

Rohan comes across Saanjh Batra [Celina Jaitley], an interior designer. Saanjh gets attracted to Rohan's simplicity and falls in love with him.

One fine day, Rohan gets arrested for murder. Dev and Saanjh are crestfallen. While Rohan is sentenced to life imprisonment, Dev and Saanjh, while sharing a common grief, become close friends.

The new A.C.P., Rajveer Scindia [Sunny Deol], is commissioned to the city and he comes across Rohan's case. Rajveer is of the belief that a criminal may go unpunished, but an innocent victim of circumstances should never be punished.

On investigating Rohan's case further, certain evidences force Rajveer to start thinking that this is no ordinary game. What happens next?

KHEL is schedule for release in August.