Piyush Jha wants Aamir Khan in Door

Piyush Jha, whose film Sikandar based on Kashmiri militancy has just opened to substantial critical acclaim, is all set to start his next film.

Entitled Door (distant), Piyush's next project will take a deep penetrating look at the divide between the haves and the have-nots. Aamir Khan is the director's first choice for the protagonist's part. "It's the role of a man of the masses. I can only see Aamir in the role," says Piyush.

The Sikandar experience has made the director realize the importance of A-listers stars in the cast. "I now understand the star hierarchy. This is just what my next film has to say. Before bridging the gap between the haves and have-nots we need to understand that chasm."

Says the director, "In the cities you see this huge disparity between the way the various classes of people live. But move away from the city and go into the non-metropolitan and semi-rural areas...the disparity between how the upper crust and the rest lived is even more glaring. That's what Door is about."

Piyush is baffled by some of the reviews for Sikandar. "Some have even commented on how spick and span Madhavan playing an army man looks. Arrey, I come from an army family. My father Hiralal Jha retired as a Major in the army. I know how he lived and how much cleanliness and orderliness meant to him. His shoes were polished for an hour every morning and his uniform had to be creaseless."

Going by the critical response to his film, Piyush is unsure about what is required of him. "Should I make the film that critics want from me? Should I make what I think the audience would like? Or should I just do what comes naturally to me? I think I'll just go by my instincts."