John and Vidya team up again

By: Upala KBR, Mid-Day
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
If all goes well, John Abraham and Vidya Balan will once again light up the screen in Nikhil Advani and Mukesh Talreja's upcoming co-production under the banner Orion Films.

Debutant director Vikram-aditya Motwane will wield the baton for this as-yet untitled film.

Star power

Says Motwane, who has previously assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, "It's an intense love story scripted by Bhavani Iyer and me, with dialogues by Anurag Kashyap, and took me over two years to put together."

Talking about his casting choice, Motwane says, "I met John (Abraham) on the sets of Deepa Mehta's Water, where I worked as a choreographer, and narrated the story to him. He liked it and agreed to do the film. After that, Vidya (Balan) too agreed.

I was looking for a producer when a common friend suggested I meet Nikhil (Advani), who had started a production company. My friend put in a word for me and after Nikhil heard the story, he agreed to produce it."

Ready project

Nikhil, whose company Orion Films co-produced Salaam-E-Ishq with Mad Films, says, "Both John and Vidya have agreed to do the film, but we are still working on the modalities."

Talking about his debutant director, Nikhil says, "I'd heard a lot about him from Anurag (Kashyap). Vikram had choreographed the songs in his film Paanch and later Water, and had even assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

He came with good credentials and also had two big stars interested in the project, but no one was backing it.

When Anurag told me that he was looking for a producer, Mukesh and I met him, liked the script and signed him on. Frankly, he has a ready project and I am only putting things together for him."

Orion Films is also producing a film for Saurabh Usha Narang. "The scripting work is now over and we will finalise the film's cast in April," he says.

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