Deepa Mehta inks deal with Amitabh

By Subhash K. Jha Feb 19, 2007, 10:30 GMT

Mumbai, Feb 19 (IANS) After Mira Nair's 'Shantaram', Amitabh Bachchan has now agreed to work with Deepa Mehta in her next film 'Exclusion'.

Mehta, who sneaked into Mumbai for just a day for a series of press conferences promoting her Oscar-nominated film 'Water', found time to meet up with Amitabh Bachchan at his office Janak to ink a deal.

'Amitabh and I met in Toronto when he was there to promote Karan Johar's film ('Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna'). I was there with 'Water'. He was interested in 'Exclusion'. Now we met again at his office on Friday and he has said yes. I'm too delighted for words. It's been a dream to direct him,' Mehta told IANS.

It looks like the Bollywood icon's earlier stance on the redundancy of an international career is going for a toss. Whether he wants it or not, international filmmakers are ready to take his stardom to the West in a big way.

Earlier entitled 'Kamagata Maru', 'Exclusion' is the true-life tale of a ship that took a group of Indians to the shores of Canada in the early part of the 19th century. But they were not allowed to enter the country.

It is described as one of the most notorious 'incidents' in the history of exclusion laws in Canada and the United States designed to keep out immigrants of Asian origin.

The film will feature Amitabh alongside John Abraham.

It's like a double whammy for Mehta. She has managed to rope in one of the most sought after actors for her film and 'Water', about the plight of the widows in the pre-independence era, is set to hit the Indian marquees on March 9. John, Lisa Ray and Seema Biswas play important roles in the film, which was shot in Sri Lanka.

© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service