Shekhar Kapur has come down to India promote his new film Elizabeth -- The Golden Age, starring Cate Blanchett [Images] and Clive Owen [Images]. The film, which opened in October overseas, will release on November 23 in India.

Meanwhile, Kapur has already gotten busy with his next project -- an animated film on, hold your breath, cockroaches!

Also Read: When Kapur leaned on Cate

Titled A Suitable Cockroach, the film will have music composed by A R Rahman.

Speaking about the film, Shekhar says that the idea came to him when he wondered what the most hated creature in Asia was. It turned out to be cockroaches.

"If people can hate a creature that lovable, then he has a character in hand. We had a character called Gabbar Singh which you hated but he ultimately he became the film," Shekhar says.

The film is in its pre-production phase. Besides this, Shekhar's long-planned Time Machine will also go on the floors though this time the maverick director will don the producer's hat.

Text: Girish Rao | Photograph: Pradeep Bandekar