Recent reports of Aishwarya Rai being cast opposite Pierce Brosnan in the next James Bond flick appear to be unfounded.

Catherine McCormack of Eon Productions, which looks after the Bond franchise, said there never was talk of Rai or any other Indian actress being in the reckoning for the role.

Sources in Los Angeles confirm, "The next Bond film is far from production. Besides Pierce Brosnan, nothing else has been decided. Not even the script. How would they know if they require an Indian girl?"

A prominent Mumbai filmmaker reasons, "Why is so much fuss being made about Aishwarya Rai being in a James Bond film? What do Bond heroines have to do except show skin and get into Bond's bed with a gasp of gratitude? Would a Bond film do more for her than [Sanjay Leela Bhansali's] Devdas? Why are our stars so Hollywood fixated?"

Rai's first assignment outside India is Bride And Prejudice, the British film which will be directed by Gurinder Chadha The Bend It Like Beckham director has reportedly signed Kiwi actor Martin Henderson (The Ring, Windtalkers) to play opposite Rai.

She has Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali Chokher Bali. In Mumbai, she has leading roles in Rajkumar Santoshi's Khakee, opposite Akshay Kumar, and in debutant Samir Karnik's Kyun? Ho Gaya Na Pyaar, with Vivek Oberoi. She also has a cameo in Ketan Mehta's Aamir Khan-centric historical, The Uprising, which has Rani Mukerji as the heroine.

Roland Joffe's The Invaders, in which she stars with Oberoi, has not gone beyond the announcement stage. The filmmaker is looking at Mumbai producers like Pahlaj Nihalani for finance.