Ash races Douglas?
by: Udita Jhunjhunwala
- mid-day.com
India’s actress ambassador to the west, Aishwarya Rai, is hotly tipped to star opposite award-winning Hollywood actor Michael Douglas in an American-Indian co-production. Douglas’s Further Films will be shooting the major chunk of Racing the Monsoon in India from January 2005. Racing the Monsoon is the third instalment after Romancing the Stone (1984) and Jewel of the Nile (1985). While Kathleen Turner played Joan Wilder to Douglas’s Jack T Colton in the first two outings, the word is that Rai is likely to co-star with Oscar and Golden Globe winner Douglas (Wall Street, War of the Roses), in the action adventure — not as a love interest, but as an adversary.
A co-production between Further Films and Percept Picture Company, the $65 million film will be shot in Amby Valley, Surat diamond mines, Lucknow and Rajasthan. Shailendra Singh, managing director, Percept Picture Company, confirmed the same, adding, “We will be producing the film for Michael and Further Films.
It’s a start-to-finish full-on action film (including blowing up three trains).” Singh met Douglas “at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Monaco two years ago. This developed into friendship and then business,” said Singh.
When asked about Rai’s casting, Singh said, “She is the preferred choice but final details are still to be sorted out.” Rai’s US agent was equally noncommittal. “Aishwarya did have a great meeting with Michael Douglas last week in Beverly Hills… But nothing is set at this time” is all she said.
Singh, whose company is also producing Revathi’s Phir Milenge, C U at 9 by Marlon Rodrigues and Beatification of Mother Teresa (a French documentary production presented by Sahara, featuring Penelope Cruz), said that while over 70 technicians would come from the US for the production, the rest would be employed locally. “With about six months work, it’s a great opportunity for our technicians to work with a Hollywood crew,” said Singh.
Robert Zemeckis and Lewis Teague directed parts one and two respectively, and though Paul Verhoeven’s (Basic Instinct) name was touted as the likely director of the third film, that detail remains unconfirmed.
