Ekta Kapoor takes up acting

TV film producer Ekta Kapoor has been offered the female lead in a film by Nikhil Saini. She will be starring opposite filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. Says a source in Balaji Telefilms, "Though Ekta has played herself in her brother Tusshar Kapoor's film C Kkompany (2008) and has done cameos in her TV serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. But this is the first time she will play a fictional character and a full-fledged role. It's a romantic drama and currently everything is hush-hush till the casting falls in place. Ekta has always been apprehensive about facing the camera."

The film will be a small-budget, gritty and realistic yet commercially sensible film. Nikhil's good friend Boney Kapoor will be distributing it. Kapoor blames work commitments for her 'unavailability'. Adds the source, "She is busy with Milan Luthria's Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, which releases on July 29. She then gets into the marketing and promotion of Tusshar's next release Shor as well as some new TV serial launches this year. Apart from that Ekta is busy setting up an acting academy she plans to launch soon. Right now, she just has no time for a full-fledged role in any film."

The source adds, "Though she has told the producer she won't be able to do it they still insisted on meeting her to narrate the role and script. The meeting is today. If she says yes, her friend Manish Malhotra will be doing her styling."

Producer Nikhil Saini sounds shocked when we ask him about it. "Please don't write about it now," he requests and adds that it will spoil his chances of getting his cast in place. "It's too early to say anything." Is it because he will be meeting Ekta today to discuss the script with her? "I am sorry I can't say anything else."

Ekta Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap remained unavailable for comment.