Aishwarya Rai will play the Choti Malkin in a new version of the Bimal Dutt classic Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1952). The film is being produced by Pritish Nandy Communications.

 

It was immortally filmed by Guru Dutt in 1962 with Meena Kumari in the central role.

Pritish Nandy reportedly considered several directors for his most lavish epic project, including Rituparno Ghosh (Chokher Bali) and Shaad Ali (Saathiya), who is on the verge of finalising his second project with Rani Mukerji and probably Hrithik Roshan in the lead.

 

Nandy has now zeroed in on Deepa Mehta (Bollywood/Hollywood). "I think Deepa would be able to give a totally new twist to the novel. Aishwarya has never played a decadent character before. Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam will give her a chance to blossom beyond what she has done so far."

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This would mark Rai's third consecutive journey into Bangla period dramas after Devdas and Chokher Bali. She is now in London shooting for Gurinder Chadha's Bride And Prejudice.

 

When contacted, Mehta, who has just finished location hunting for her new Kareena Kapoor-Rahul Khanna project, said, "I don't know what kind of a Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam I would make. But it will be MY film, not Guru Dutt's. Just like Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas [Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit], had nothing to do with Bimal Roy's classic take [with Dilip Kumar, Suchitra Sen and Vyjayanthimala] on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel."

 

The rest of the cast is yet to be decided. It is reliably learnt that Salman Khan had been almost finalised for the pivotal role of Bhootnath, the besotted staffer in the large desolate haveli where the drama unfolds. It was earlier played by Guru Dutt.

 

With Rai playing the central role, Khan may no longer be the male lead.

 

Earlier, when Sanjay Leela Bhansali was casting for his period epic Bajirao Mastani, Rai had categorically stated her unwillingness to work with Khan.