By:
Upala
KBR,
Mid-Day
Wednesday,
March
01,
2006
Akshay
Kumar,
Vidya
Balan,
Pritish
Nandy
and
Rituparno
Ghosh
may
come
together
in
an
unusual
partnership
this
year
-
a
rehash
of
Vijay
Anand's
Guide
(starring
Dev
Anand
and
Waheeda
Rehman).
PNC's
film,
titled
Rahgir
(traveller
or
wanderer)
is
a
remake
(though
PNC
refuses
to
call
it
that)
of
Vijay
Anand's
film,
based
on
the
original
novel,
The
Guide,
written
by
R
K
Narayan.
Akshay
has
been
approached
to
play
the
role
of
the
traveller
(Dev
Anand's
role)
while
Vidya
might
play
Rosie.
Festival
plans
As
the
project
is
still
to
be
finalised,
Pritish
Nandy
prefers
not
disclose
the
details.
"It
is
similar
to
Guide
and
not
a
remake," he
claims.
"We
are
working
on
the
details.
If
everything
works
out
well,
Akshay
and
Vidya
will
be
in
Rahgir,
where
Akshay
will
play
the
traveller." The
film
will
start
in
the
next
few
months,
so
it
is
ready
for
release
in
the
third
quarter
of
the
year,
informs
Nandy.
"We
have
some
clear
targets
-
we
want
Rahgir
to
be
shown
at
some
of
the
biggest
festivals,
before
releasing
it
in
India."
Akshay's
histrionics
Why
Akshay,
whose
acting
skills
are
more
in
the
commercial
mould?
Says
Nandy,
"In
my
view,
Akshay
is
an
extremely
fine
actor
who
has
traditionally
been
cast
in
roles
where
he
had
little
opportunity
to
showcase
his
versatile
acting
skills.
He
has
always
been
cast
in
typical
Bollywood
films,
where
his
ability
to
showcase
his
talents
has
been
limited.
If
he
does
Rahgir,
it
will
be
wonderful
to
see
him
in
a
film
that
gives
him
the
opportunity
to
demonstrate
his
histrionic
talents."
About
Vidya,
Nandy
says,
"She
displayed
fine
acting
sensibilities
in
Parineeta.
What
she
needs
today
is
a
film
that
will
put
her
on
a
different
level
altogether.
It's
time
she
did
big-ticket
numbers,
and
Rahgir
could
be
one
of
them."
Ritu's
reasoning
Rituparno
Ghosh
who
has
been
keen
to
cast
Akshay
in
his
films
for
some
time
now,
said,
"I
find
a
great
intensity
in
Akshay,
and
a
natural,
athletic
build.
In
spite
of
being
a
superstar,
he
possesses
the
quality
of
being
a
real
hero.
I
haven't
met
him
too
many
times,
but
when
I
narrated
the
role
to
him,
he
felt
excited
enough
to
take
time
out
from
his
hectic
schedule
to
give
me
the
dates
for
my
film.
His
colleagues,
too,
praise
him
highly.
In
Akshay,
I
find
a
transparency
and
an
eagerness
to
learn."
What's
next?
There
a
many
films
on
PNC's
release
chart
-
Vikram
Bhatt's
Ankahee,
starring
Esha
Deol,
Ameesha
Patel
and
Aftab
Shivdasani,
in
March;
Pyar
Ke
Side
Effects,
starring
Rahul
Bose
and
Mallika
Sherawat;
Anjan
Dutt's
Bow
Barracks
Forever;
and
Rituparno
Ghosh's
Khela,
starring
Prosenjit
and
Manisha
Koirala.