Aish to play Mumtaz
Bollywood actress
Aishwarya Rai will play Mumtaz Mahal in a film to be co-produced by British actor
Sir Ben Kingsley.
Kingsley himself will play the role of the Mughal emperor Shahjahan in the flick.
"The movie is on the building of the Taj Mahal. The romance will also include Shah Jahan's abject isolation for years in a prison cell," Kinglsey is quoted by Time of India.
Kingsley added that he had spoken to Ash about the project while filming
The Last Legion with her.
"She very generously agreed to do the movie with me. My production house is working with a screenwriter on the project. I have very clear ideas about how I want to approach the subject." Kingsley is quoted as saying.
The movie will be shot in Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. The shooting will begin next year.
It may be recalled that Sir Ben Kingsley was one of the hosts of The Seven New Wonders of the World event in July in Lisbon when Bipasha Basu announced Taj Mahal as one of the new wonders.
Kingsley is best known for his performance as Mahatma Gandhi in
Sir Richard Attenborough's award winning film
Gandhi (1982).
Aishwarya Rai is presently shooting
Pink Panther 2 in Boston.
Drona isn’t a superhero flick
Much has been talked and written about
Abhishek Bachchan playing a superhero in
Drona. However, we learn that is not the case.
The paradox was apparent when reports came that Abhishek plays a superhero in
Drona and
Priyanka Chopra plays his bodyguard. Use your brains folks. Why would a superhero need a bodyguard?
The dust has now cleared. The film’s producer
Shrishti Arya has clarified in a media report that
Drona is not a superhero flick.
Shrishti says Abhishek’s role in the film is very unique but he doesn’t play a superhero like Superman, Batman or Spiderman. Having said this, Shrishti also adds that Abhishek has a lot of action sequences in the film.
So what is
Drona really about?
Shrishti clears the air without giving away the story. She says
Drona is a fantasy flick with heavy doses of action, adventure, drama and special effects.
Abhishek has worked hard on his body for his role in the film. In fact, he has done the action scenes himself and without the help of any body double. Not just Abhi, even Priyanka Chopra has trained in traditional Sikh martial art called Gatka for her role.
Drona is being directed by Abhishek’s good friend
Goldie Behl. The movie is currently on the floors. The next schedule will be in Prague. The movie is set to release in the summer of 2008.
