Erotic filmmaker returns to Bollywood

After directing the likes of Aishwarya Bachchan (Provoked), Naseeruddin Shah (Shoot On Sight) and Govinda (Naughty At 40) all in films produced in London, Jagmohan Mundhra who has lately been directing a string of controversial biopics, is now returning to his roots, in more ways than one.

Mundhra is back in India to make films, and that too in the erotic-thriller genre that he specialized in earlier in his career when he was accused of making semi-sleazy films. The first of these low-budget thrillers is titled Chase and has the incredible cast of TV actor-turned producer Anuj Saxena (who's also producing the film) and Udita Goswami. Quite a change from the Ashs and the Shahs he has lately worked with.

Ask the prolific director if he intends to return to his erotic roots and he laughs, "My roots keep changing all the time. And besides, even when I've made supposedly more respectable films, I haven't shied away from erotic thrillers. Chase (we haven't got the title as yet) is a thriller in the style of Abbas-Mustan's Race. In fact I'm returning to my roots in unexpected ways because I had started my career with a suspense thriller in Hindi called Suraag starring Shabana Azmi and Sanjeev Kumar. With Chase, I'm returning to the genre and language I started with."

Next Mundhra goes to another thriller called Room Mates featuring Gul Panag which will be produced by One More Thought, the people who produced Phoonk. It looks like Jagmohan Mundhra has shifted base to Mumbai for at least the next one year. "It would seem so. I feel happy to be working out of Mumbai after so many years and making films that entertain and not provoke anyone," laughs Mundhra at the unwanted attention his biopics have invited.