Aishwarya Rai has reportedly agreed to be a part of director Mani Ratnam’s next. According to DNA, the film is a big budget historical drama that will allegedly be made in a similar vein to the Baahubali franchise. Aishwarya made her debut in Mani Ratnam’s 1997 film Iruvar and has since acted in other titles by the director such as Guru and Raavan.
The film will purportedly be an adaptation of Ponniyin Selvan (The Son of Ponni), a historical novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy about Arulmozhivarman, aka Rajaraja Chola I, set during the 10th and 11th centuries. It will be part of a three-part series with an ensemble cast. The report suggests that an announcement on the project is expected to be made on Pongal (14 January).
Amitabh Bachchan has also allegedly been approached for the film though he is yet to sign on the dotted line. The publication quotes a source as saying, “Mani has narrated the script to Amitji. He is taking his time to decide whether he would like to do it. A confirmation from his end is yet to come but he has liked the idea.”
Aishwarya and Amitabh Bachchan were last seen together in 2008’s Sarkar Raj. The actor was supposed to begin shooting for Anurag Kashyap’s Gulab Jamun alongside Abhishek Bachchan, though some reports suggest the couple have walked out of the film.
(Source: DNA)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)