Will Mallika say 'I do'

Govind Menon's next film is about an Afghan girl. Will his heroine of three films star in it, asks Hiren Kotwani.

After Khwaaish, Kis Kiski Kismat and Bachke Rehna Re Baba, director Govind Menon may just team up with his muse Mallika Sherawat, a fourth time around.

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After the failure of their last offing together, Bach Ke Rehna Re Baba, also starring Rekha and Paresh Rawal, Menon has been keeping a low profile, while Sherawat has been going places, literally — from bagging decent parts in Ram Gopal Varma's Darna Zaroori Hai and Mani Ratnam's Guru to going international with Jackie Chan's The Myth (never mind if she had an eight-minute role in it).

But now, Menon too is planning to go international. According to a reliable source, "Govind Menon is working on a film, tentatively titled Kabul To Texas that traces the journey of a young woman from the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan to USA."

Will Ms Sherawat make to Govind Menon's next flick?

Our source further tells us, "Most of the cast members will be international, while the sole female protagonist will be an Indian actress." So will it be one Ms Sherawat again? It's also heard, that the film is inspired from the Booker Prize-winner

The Kite Runner

authored by Khaled Hosseini "with major changes but retaining the essence."

When contacted, Menon said, "Yes, it's true that I'm working on the story of an Afghan girl who moves to the US and will have a lot of foreign crew on board for this film. The next couple of films that I'll be making are international subjects with US-based writers, so I'll have an international cast and team working in it."

Declining to comment on Sherawat's presence in the film, he said, "I'm still in the scripting stages and only when I'm through the final draft, will I decide on the casting. So it's too premature to talk about it right now."

When pressed further for any names he had in mind, he said, "I can take a call on it only after the final draft is ready. I can't say if it will be an Indian actress. I may even cast a Latin American or Spanish actress for this role."

Our source however maintains that the director is keen on casting Sherawat yet again. Sherawat, who is currently away shooting for Fauj Mein Mauj based on the Goldie Hawn starrer Private Benjamin, was unavailable for comment.