``We have opened the gate of the academy to tourists because we want to assure people that nothing secretive is going on inside the NDA and young boys are simply being trained to become officers,'' says Deputy Commandant Air Vice Marshal BK Pandey, elaborating on the recent decision taken by the NDA to allow visitors on specific days.

It is feared that the film, where Bachchan plays a stern Adjutant in charge of training rebel cadet Ajay Devgan, has cadets bounding around with weapons, sporting stubbles, dancing on the streets and amongst other things bottom-pinching heroine Sonali Bendre, will affect public opinion of the premier training academy.

While the movie has cadets frolicking around in behaviour ``unbecoming of an officer'' something the Indian Army is very particular about, the film also shows Bachchan hitting cadets whereas no junior or senior officer can be allowed to manhandle and it is ``punishable by court martial,'' says Air Vice Marshal Pandey.

The love story set in the backdrop of the National Defence Academy has come in for a lot of pre-release flak from the Indian Army, for wrongly depicting training at the premier National Defence Academy and the bearing of Amitabh Bachchan who plays the Adjutant of the academy. It has reportedly been suggested that the movie should only be cleared after major cuts and all references to NDA should be deleted, after a viewing by senior officers in Delhi.

``The movie has a distorted portrayal of training at the NDA and it should not be cleared,'' says Air Vice Marshal BK Pandey. The Liaison Officer attached to the film unit had objected to certain scenes in the film while shooting was on at the NDA, but he was told that the scenes would not be in the film. These scenes have reportedly stayed.

The biggest objection was raised about Bachchan's salt and pepper beard. ``The Navy allows it but the Indian Army does not allow officers other than Sikhs to sport a beard,'' says Air Vice Marshal Pandey. When the objection was made to the director of the film it was reportedly suggested that some medical reason should be stated in the film for the luxurious growth on Bachchan's face, it was also advised that the suggestion could come from Nafisa Ali, who plays his wife and a Forces doctor.

Officials are apparently not too happy with the film units which have been visiting the academy in the recent past. Tinnu Anand's Major Saab unit was followed by Feroz Khan and his son, who were shooting for another film.

While at a personal level officers don't mind mingling with film stars who bring a dash of glamour to the strict schedules at the academy, the shootings hamper ongoing training programmes.