Priyanka Chopra and Aman Verma Cheated

February 17th, 2009

Priyanka Chopra and Aman Verma had dreams of setting up office in Kalpana Plaza in Mumbai. But their dreams were shattered when after four years of payment they still did not receive possession.

The building is still under construction and the builder has disappeared. The builder, none other than film producer N Kumar, producer of Vaastav (1999), refuses to take calls or meet his clients.

Those who had bought space in the building were promised possession by December 2005. It's 2009 and there is no sign of the money or the space.

Looks like Piggy chops is going to have to fight hard for this one.

Who is Priyanka bonding with?

February 16th, 2009

Priyanka Chopra and Scottish actor Gerard Butler are bonding over lunch, regular phone-calls and SMS.

It’s raining men in Priyanka Chopra's life. After her on-and-off relationship with Harman Baweja, and, rumours of her growing closeness with Shahid Kapur, there are murmurs in the industry that Priyanka is bonding big time with Scottish actor Gerald Butler (of 300 and P.S. I Love You, f a m e ) . Priyanka and Gerard first met at the inauguration of Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai’s latest iconic luxury resort, in November 2008. The two have been in regular touch with other. A friend of Priyanka tells Mumbai Mirror, “Since November, Priyanka and Gerard have kept in touch via phone calls and SMSes.”

According to sources, Priyanka and Gerard had actually hit it off at the party hosted by Shah Rukh Khan in Dubai, soon after the inauguration of the luxury resort. Today, Priyanka and Gerard share a deep bond.

Priyanka’s official spokesperson did not deny the ‘dostana’ between Priyanka and Gerard. She said, “Priyanka and Gerard hit it off really well in Dubai and have maintained their friendship ever since.’

Buzz is that Priyanka and Gerard recently had lunch and coffee together in Chicago where Priyanka was shooting for Ashutosh Gowariker’s What’s Your Rashee? Though Priyanka’s official spokesperson refused to confirm this, a friend of Priyanka tells us that the couple did spend some quality time together. “A couple of Priyanka’s cousins who stay in Chicago accompanied Priyanka and Gerard.”

Hurman Priyanka Back Togethere as Couple

February 16th, 2009

All those who were glad that Priyanka Chopra was single again after her break-up with Hurman Baweja, there's news for you. Priyanka and Hurman are trying to get back together. Their dead relationship got a chance to renew itself earlier this month while the two were shooting together in the snowy landscapes of Chicago. Reveals a source, "It seems Priyanka realised how important Hurman is to her life. They were together constantly in Chicago."

But in such a scenario, where does Priyanka and Shahid Kapur's growing 'friendship'stand? A close friend of Priyanka and Hurman jumps to their defence, asking, "Would it mean that Priyanka is dating Shahid if they exchange friendly banter on a social networking website like Facebook? Well, Hurman did ask her about this and that's when they realised how deeply they care for each other."

Apparently, the reason for the break-up was Priyanka's two hits, Fashion and Dostana, and Hurman's two flops, Love Story 2050 and Victory. Their friend rubbishes such reasons and says, "People forget that Priyanka knew the Baweja family before Hurman took to acting. They're both working hard on getting back the magic in their relationship, especially Hurman."

When contacted about their patch-up, Priyanka didged a direct answer by saying, "I will always stand by Hurman."

She added, "I enjoyed Victory immensely. He came across very well as a cricketer."

Priyanka Chopra Underwent Plastic Surgery?

February 12th, 2009

Does the beauty queen really not realize how beautiful she is? Well rumors are flying that the uber chic and super hot Priyanka Chopra has gone under the knife and had done a lip and a nose job! Is the gorgeous former Miss World not as naturally beautiful as we think?

Well recently a channel aired a story featuring a doctor who claimed to perform plastic surgery on the actress. The physician spoke about what actually went down when Priyanka Chopra allegedly came into his office and went under the knife. You would think that was evidence enough but Priyanka Chopra still denies going through the procedure and says she will be taking legal action against the physician. She was furious when the doctor revealed details about her surgery. Was she furious because she didn't want her secret out or was she furious because the physician's claims were all lies?

Now the actress has come forward and said that there is nothing wrong in plastic surgery. So why the crazy reaction to her doctors claims? If there's nothing wrong with plastic surgery who cares if her doctor said she had gotten it done. Wonder what Koena Mitra has to say to that...Anyways...what do you guys think about all this back and forth banter about this babe's plastic surgery? Is it real? Is it fake? Or are the only fake parts on Priyanka Chopra's face? Let us know what you think about this juicy story!

'Priyanka rules endorsements world'

February 10th, 2009

New Delhi : Priyanka Chopra, who gave two big hits last year - "Fashion" and "Dostana", is one of the most sought-after actresses for brand endorsements, according to a survey.

A study by media monitoring company Adex India revealed that Priyanka is the queen of endorsements and is ranked second on the list of top-notch brand ambassadors of 2008 only after Shah Rukh Khan.

She leads the youth brigade as the face of brands like Lux, Ponds, Sunsilk, Hero Honda, Nokia, Tag Heuer, J. Hampsted and Virgin Comic.

As far as her film assignments go, the actress has a busy year ahead with two big movies in her kitty - Vishal Bharadwaj's "Kaminay" and Ashutosh Gowariker's "What's Your Rashee?", among others.

Priyanka and Shahid take love online!

February 10th, 2009

Priyanka Chopra didn't admit to being in a relationship with Hurman Baweja for the four years they were together, so no one is expecting her to admit that there's something developing between her and her Kaminey co-star Shahid Kapoor.

PC is presently in Chicago for Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Raashee? Meanwhile, Shahid is in Jodhpur. The couple, who live in the same building at Versova, are constantly in touch when in town but now are connected via phone and the internet.

The two young lovers have also been writing on each other's 'walls', 'poking' each other and exchanging messages on popular online portal Facebook.

Priyanka is addicted to Facebook. She keeps in touch with her friends through the social networking website. Her profile on the portal doesn't bear her name.

She calls herself Sir Pranks-a-lot. Also she hasn't put up her latest picture, but one from her childhood. This way she can maintain her privacy and also not get spammed by people for friend requests."

The source adds that it was Priyanka who got Shahid to make his account active. Now he has been signing into his account more frequently. Priyanka told him how everyone from the industry is communicating via the website. And now they often connect online.

In fact, they have been posting flirty messages (see box) as well.

Says a common friend, "They keep writing on each other's walls, commenting on each other's status messages and poking each other.

Priyanka's relationship status was in an invisible mode when she was with Harman, but after the break- up, she's listed as single. Shahid too is listed as single on his profile."

PC has given Shahid a new nick name, "Shahid is called Sha-Sha by his close friends, but Priyanka calls him Shaks. In fact, she has addressed him as Shaks in most of her messages." And he calls her Peefee. Sweet!

Status Check

Sir Pranks-A-Lot is freezing her ar*e off in Chicago on Feb 4

Shahid Kapur on Feb 6 comments: It's rare how some people can sleep through such natural disasters.

Wall-to-wall chatter
Sir Pranks-A-Lot (Priyanka) wrote:Wassup... Shaks?

Shahid Kapur wrote:Peefeeee... on ma mind!

Priyanka’s father unwell again

February 7th, 2009

Even as Priyanka Chopra continues to deliver hits after hits, one thing that never stopped worrying her is her father Dr Ashok Chopra's ill-health.

Her father was diagnosed with a tumour in his liver in 2005. Last week, Dr Ashok Chopra's health suddenly deteriorated further and he was rushed to the the hospital.

Dr Chopra's health has been a cause for concern for his family, especially Priyanka who often has to travel because of her hectic work schedule.

A close friend of Priyanka told Mumbai Mirror, “Last week, Priyanka came from an outdoor shoot and realised that her father was not in his usual element. She told him to go to a doctor for a through check-up. The doctors told Priyanka's father that he has an abscess and pus formation between his liver and the diaphragm. Dr Chopra had to be operated.”

“Priyanka wanted to postpone going to the US for the shoot of Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Rashee? as she was quite worried about her father's health. However, after the operation, Dr Ashok was feeling much better and she could leave for the US on time. Priyanka did want to stay back and join the unit of What's Your Rashee? after a few days, but thankfully that kind of a situation did not arise,” added the source.

Another source, who is also close to the Chopras, said, “There were a few complications as Dr Ashok has been suffering from cancer for a long time".

Priyanka's official spokesperson said, “It was a testing time for the family. Priyanka is grateful that her father is back home.”

Dr Ashok said, “I am better now. I had a lot of pain and fever but it is settling down now. This recent problem had nothing to do with my tumour. I had pus formation and abscess exactly in the same area where I was operated earlier. Dr Someshwar was in charge of this surgery.”

“Priyanka looks after me very well. She was with me in the hospital throughout. She is worried about me. She knows her priorities and is a family-oriented girl,” said the proud father.

Earlier, while talking about her father's tumour, Priyanka had said, “When I look back on those days, I can't help wondering how strange life is. I mean, when we took my father for a check-up we had no clue about what was in store. He had absolutely no physical complication, no pain, no symptom of the grave disease. (All this) just makes you more grateful for the gift of life.”

Priyanka Chopra’s style and glamour compliments Nokia’s new Supernova Range

February 7th, 2009

Karachi: Nokia signed Priyanka Chopra as the Brand Ambassador for the Nokia Supernova series for South Asia. Nokia’s spokesperson reportedly divulged that this move was calculated to create a connection with Nokia’s young and style-savvy consumers.

The tagline of the new campaign featuring Priyanka Chopra is ‘It’s not just a phone, it’s who we are’. The campaign has been successfully launched in Pakistan and Supernova series is also available in the market to meet the individuality and style needs of consumers. Nokia spokesperson said, “Today’s mobile phones have transcended from their functional use and become style statements. Nokia as a brand has led this movement and it is constantly evaluating new and interesting shapes, styles and materials combined with relevant features to create products that specifically meet consumer’s lifestyle needs across price points.”

Priyanka Chopra is equally excited to endorse the Supernova series and she expressed joy over her association with Nokia.

Cold vibes between Priyanka and Hurman?

February 6th, 2009

Mumbai: Priyanka Chopra and Hurman Baweja (who were reportedly dating and have split now) left for Chicago to shoot some dance numbers for Ashutosh Gowariker's forthcoming What's Your Raashee?

Industry sources say that the shooting schedule was originally for around 12 days which meant that Hurman and Piggy Chops would have spent Valentine's Day together. But no, there's a twist to the tale. Priyanka is coming back in around eight or nine days and Hurman is coming back on February 14.

Looks like the former lovers don't want to be together on that day. Are they trying not to get emotional in front of each other as it would bring back some fond memories? An industry source says, "Priyanka and Hurman have been great friends; there were rumours about their romance too. But this sudden change definitely indicates that their relationship has gone sour. If everything was fine between them, they would have definitely been together for Valentine's."

When contacted, Hurman confirms, "Yes, I'm coming back on the 14th or 15th. I'm single and happy, and concentrating on my work right now. Nothing else is on my mind."

Shahid and Priyanka affair - say it isn't so!

February 3rd, 2009

Ah love, how strange it is in life, and how doubly strange it seems in the glamorous, yet insane world of Bollywood!

Is it true that Bollywood stars promote hogwosh regarding their 'off screen' relationship with their co stars to promote their film? Yes it is. Is them being in love, or for that matter, is love in general a must for publicity?

And why this banter? Because a certain film called 'Kaminay' is due for release and the murmurs regarding the film's stars stars Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor are full steam ahead.

15 years ago Billy Crystal asked Meg Ryan in 'When Harry met Sally' if a guy and a girl can never be 'just friends'. And four years ago Saif Ali Khan asked the exact same thing to Rani Mukherji in 'Hum tum'. We keep asking the same question to ourselves. But can Shahid and Priyanka never be friends?

Granted that Kareena dumped Shahid like a hot cake after she realized Saif was her 'soulmate'. Granted that Priyanka dumped Harman Baweja because she grew tired of mirrors cracking every time he looked into them. But really, do Shahid and Priyanka need to be together just to promote 'Kaminay'? They were seen at a hotel checking into a room, then they were spotted dancing wildly at a club packed with onlookers, and then the duo made sure they were loud enough to talk mushy stuff between shoots.

Know that the film is directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, who earlier made the charming 'Blue Umbrella' and the magnificent 'Omkara'. He certainly doesn't need meanigless gossip to promote his films, his name is enough to bring audiences to theaters.

Priyanka creates history in world cinema

February 3rd, 2009

By now it's a known fact that in Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Raashee?, Priyanka Chopra plays 12 different characters, each representing a difference star-sign from the horoscope. This makes Priyanka the only actress in the world to play so many characters. The closest that we come to such a massive bodycount for one actor is Sanjeev Kumar in Naya Din Nayi Raat. He played nine different characters.

But what ensued on the sets of Raashee all of last week would count as a unique occurrence in the history of world cinema. Under the choreographic supervision of Raju Khan, Priyanka performed to a song that required her to bring all the 12 characters together in all their varying moods and personalities.

Though Priyanka isn't allowed to speak about it, it was the toughest musical challenge of any actor's career, requiring her to swing from mood to mood at the drop of a beat. Apparently, Priyanka wasn't allowed breaks between shots, as this would have broken the rhythm of the 12 characters as captured in one line of vision.

"Priyanka shot with Raju Khan (who is Saroj Khan's son) for 22 hours at a stretch. At times she couldn't sit or take a breather for hours at a stretch. It was very important to get the continuity right. Otherwise the character's graph would've become lopsided. To dance and emote to a song in 12 different looks and makeup all at once is not an easy thing," reveals a source.

And to think Kareena Kapoor could be doing the song. It's confirmed. The outspoken Kareena says she was indeed supposed to do What's Your Raashee? "Yes it was offered to me and Shahid Kapoor. I'd have loved to do another film with Shahid. But the dates were clashing with Karan's film that Rensil D'Silva is directing with me and Saif."

Kareena also clarifies that her opting out of Raashee had nothing to do with her split with Shahid. "We're professionals, all of us. Even if I'm working in a film with Saif in place of a film with Shahid we're thorough professionals here in Philadelphia. There's no time to party or go out or do any of the fun things. We've been shooting in a tube station in below-freezing temperature and we need to cover as much work as possible in limited time."

Ironically, What's Your Raashee? was offered to Kareena and Shahid just after they split. Now another couple that has broken up is doing the film. But according to onlookers Priyanka and Hurman Baweja are so compatible off and on screen that it's impossible to tell the status of their personal equation.

"They're laughing and joking on the sets even when they aren't facing the camera. In fact, Hurman was there to support her when she did the tough 12-avatar dance act," says a source.

Priyanka attends the premiere of Victory

January 30th, 2009

Priyanka Chopra is steadily gaining the reputation of being a thorough professional a fact that was proved by her attending ex-beau Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra premiere at Cinemax, Andheri last night with her parents. She made a promise and kept it.

Says a source close to Hurman, "Though Hurman and Priyanka broke off last year, they have have remained cordial to each other. They are co-stars in Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Raashee? and off the sets too, they have maintained their friendliness. Victory is a special film for Hurman (it is his second release) so he wanted Priyanka to be there during his important moments."

According to the source, the actor invited his ex personally for the premiere of Victory. "Hurman called up Priyanka when she was shooting in Jodhpur for an ad film and she promised to come. It was very gracious of Priyanka to accept the invitation especially as she was bit upset with Hurman when he went public with their break-up a couple of days ago."

The source adds, "The Victory premiere is intimate, with invites only going out to the cast and crew of the film and Hurman's directors and producers like Anees Bazmee, Sanjay Kapoor and Ashutosh Gowariker. For Hurman, Priyanka is not just a co-star today; they remain good friends.

She's always been there for him at most of his events and has been a source of support to him. Though she had promised to come, Hurman was keeping his fingers crossed as anything between weather problems to flight arrivals could prevent her from coming."

A source close to Priyanka says, "She was shooting in Jodhpur for an ad film but she had promised Hurman that she would attend his premiere, so she did. Priyanka always keeps her promises. She also has some other work commitments to fulfill today so Priyanka combined both the Victory premiere and her other work and flew back yesterday afternoon in order to make sure she didn't miss Hurman's big day."

False rumours to complete the shoot!

January 29th, 2009

During the shooting of an action scene of the film JUGAAD, the production house required a large crowd for the scene. Many people were needed to surround the actor Manoj Bajpai. The crowd was needed to be almost a crowd of 80 to 100 people but due to some problem the production executive could manage to get only 15 to 20 people. They had to shoot the scene on same day since all the other technical arrangements were made to perfection.

Now to arrange the crowd, one of the production assistants came up with the bright idea. They went and announced in the nearby market that Priyanka Chopra is coming for the shoot. And WOW. Within half an hour they had a crowd of more then 150 people thronging the ground to get a glimpse their favourite actress. To add to the woes of unit hands, a big crowd of workers from a nearby factory also joined to watch the shoot. ''It was such a funny scene. Instead of shooting unit people were busy trying to control the unruly crowd and director Anand Kumar was shouting his lungs out for all the chaos. This incident became so hilarious that we had to stop shoot for quite some time to bring normalcy back on the floors,'' laughs Manoj Bajpai while recalling the entire scene. Eventually Manoj had to take the loudspeaker in his hand and tell everybody that Priyanka is unable to reach. Within minutes the crowd had reduced to a normal 70-80 people and JUGAAD team could finish the shoot.

JUGAAD is releasing on the 6th all over India. It is produced by Sandiip Kapoor and Priya, and directed by R Anand Kumar. This movie is based on a real life story of the producer sandiip Kpaur. JUGAAD stars Manoj Bajpai, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Vijay Raz, Sanjay Mishra, Govind Namdeo and is introducing new artiste Nitin Arora. Its Music is by Sachin Gupta & Krishna, Lyrics is by Sameer, screenplay & dialogues are by Bunty Rathore & Priyaank Dube and cinematographer is Prem Anand. It's produced under the banner of Promodome Films.

January 29th, 2009

The leading lady of Bollywood today, Priyanka Chopra seems to be building a fine working rapport with Rajasthan.

She has shot for her film Drona here, and then she came back in July last year to shoot for a commercial near Jaipur’s Jal Mahal, and now she’s back in Jodhpur again in just six months time to shoot for yet another commercial, this time for a beauty soap brand. Priyanka landed at the Jodhpur airport on Tuesday afternoon amidst heavy security. Our source present at the airport said, “Priyanka landed here around 1 pm. Though a large number of her fans had turned up to greet her and catch a glimpse of their star, she preferred to quickly push through the surging crowd and head for her hotel.” The actress will be in Jodhpur till today. On her earlier visit to Jaipur, Priyanka who was unavailable for comment on Tuesday, had told JT, “I just love the state and the fact that its people are still connected to their cultural roots. I want to go around the place, but my hectic schedule doesn’t allow me to do so.

Vishal Bharadwaj's Kaminey to release on 5 June

January 29th, 2009

MUMBAI: UTV Motion Pictures' Kaminey, directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, is slated to release on 5 June.

Kaminey will be the first film to release post the IPL championship, which conclude on 29 May. With most filmmakers shying away from releasing their films during the IPL season, Kaminey has grabbed the first Friday, post the championship.

The publicist of the film confirms, "The release date for Kaminey has been locked for 5 June. That's the way Vishal Bharadwaj, the director and producer of the film likes to operate. Everything is in place and we have been able to follow all schedules, be it during shooting and or during post production which is going on now."

The month of March is a not a lucrative time to release films as exams hold centre stage. And now with the IPL matches starting from the second week of April, people in India will hardly be going to the theatres to see films.Kaminey has Shahid Kapur and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles.

akki-priyanka the hit couple to pair again!

January 27th, 2009

Akshay Kumar is set to play another romantic-comic role in director Priyadarshan?s next film.

Priyadarshan seems to have an endless stock of entertainment inside him. One after the other he keeps making movies that blend comedy with romance and suspense. And the director has become fond of actor Akshay Kumar too.

Akshay, who was recently seen in Priyan?s Bhagam Bhaag , has now agreed to another film with the director.

The movie, yet untitled, will be produced by Ratan Jain of Venus. But the big scoop is that it might star Priyanka Chopra opposite Akshay.

Priyanka and Akshay have worked in hit films like Aitraaz , Andaaz , Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and Waqt ? A Race Against Time . However, the two began avoiding working together after rumours of their romance started in the media.

Akshay, who is a happily married man, had then said that he doesn?t want to court unnecessary controversies that can affect his married life with Twinkle Khanna .

Sources say while the heroine of the forthcoming Priyadarshan movie is yet to be finalized, Priyanka?s name is not ruled out from the list of probables

Shahid gets too close to Priyanka

January 27th, 2009

Bollywood beauty Priyanka Chopra has done a grave mistake by not making her relationship with actor Harman Baweja public. Now, rumourmongers are all out to link her to every man she meets. This time, it is actor Shahid Kapoor.

Shahid-Priyanka duo were in the news for their hot scenes in Vishal Bharadwaj's Kaminay, including a kissing scene. Now, their off-screen closeness has made the unit of the film suspicious. It is said that they look more like lovers than just friends.

Well, we can't rule out the rumour because Priyanka has not admitted Harman as her boyfriend.

Priyanka Chopra ditches Nach Baliye!

January 22nd, 2009

Mumbai, Actress Priyanka Chopra, who was supposed to appear on the dance-based reality show ‘Nach Baliye’, has ditched the show after confirming that she would show up.

The actress has reportedly chosen to support her mother instead, saying that she means more to her. Priyanka’s mum, Madhu, had to prepare for the opening of her cosmetic surgery clinic, Madhu’s Studio Aesthetic, in Juhu. The launch may take place sometime next month.

Grapevine has it that another reason of her sudden ‘no’ to ‘Nach Baliye’ is Amrita Rao. When she learnt that Amrita will also be present on the same episode, she became too apprehensive as she alone wanted to grace the episode.

Priyanka had to grace the show as a guest judge for Friday’s episode. But since she backed out at the last minute, guess, Amrita will get an opportunity to steal the show.

Priyanka Chopra's mom to open a hi-tech cosmetic-surgery clinic

January 22nd, 2009

If Priyanka's mother Madhu Chopra didn't accompany her only son Siddharth when he left for Geneva for his one-year culinary course, it was with good reason.

Mrs Chopra is busy with the final preparation for her pricey hi-tech cosmetic-surgery clinic in Juhu (Mumbai). It's a dream project for the Chopras that Priyanka is pooling into with prideful gusto.

"It was my dad who went with my brother. Mom can't leave right now. She's so heavily into her cosmetic clinic. It's on the verge of being opened. We've named it Studio Aesthetic."

Studio Aesthetic aims to be a one-stop cosmetic-surgery clinic with the most sophisticated surgery equipment. Says Priyanka proudly, "We've been getting the machines and equipment for the past one year. The process will continue for a while. But mom's clinic is ready to roll."

And to think Priyanka herself is supposed to have gone through cosmetic surgery. "I know. I should've waited for my mom's clinic. I'd have got a discount," she jokes. "But seriously, if I had gone through cosmetic surgery I'd happily admit it. There's nothing wrong with it. But the fact is, what has happened to me is not surgery. It's polishing. When I came in I was raw and inexperienced about diet, work-outs, makeup. Over a period of time I've understood my body, face and mind. That shows in my appearance and performances."

Priyanka is thrilled to receive the first of her best-actress awards for Fashion. "The last time I got the awards it was for my performance in Aitraaz. But that was not for best actress. So yeah, I'm thrilled."

More thrilling is the fact that two of the popular awards this season shifted their dates forward to accommodate Priyanka's schedules. Apparently, so sure were they of Priyanka winning that they chose to push the awards forward rather than not have her present.

Laughs Priyanka, "I don't think it was for me. But yes the dates were pushed forward. But who wouldn't like winning awards. I do! I've a busy and challenging year ahead. First out is Kaminay with Shahid where audiences will get to see me in a completely different look and role. Then there's What's Your Raashee? which is challenging the hell out of me. Next I go into Pyar Impossible with Uday Chopra. That I think would be easier than Raashee."

In What's Your Raashee? Priyanka plays 12 roles each denoting one star-sign in the horoscope. Though the actress isn't allowed to talk about it.

On a soberer note the Chopras' home is looking emptier. "My brother has gone to study culinary arts at this institution at the outskirts of Geneva called La Rouche. During his year's stay he'll be learning everything to do with the restaurant business from hotel management to cooking. Dad has gone with my brother. But mom has been crying her eyes out. I miss him too."

Big Fight: It's Priyanka vs Kareena once again

January 18th, 2009

Now that the ultra-prolific and passionately-productive Shyam Benegal has decided to revive his costliest project Chamki, a desi version of Georges Bizet's 1845 opera Carmen the question is, who will play the challenging title role of a free-spirited fiery-tempered gypsy?

Though Benegal is at the moment reluctant to reveal details, sources close to the project claim that the closest contenders for the role are Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.

Both have already been approached in the past for Chamki. But chose to opt out before the final yes for various reasons.

Says the source, "Kareena was excited to begin with. She was supremely charged by the role and what Shyam Babu had done with her sister Karisma in Zubeida.

But then she opted out, as she often does from offbeat challenges like Deepa Mehta's Water and Rituparno Ghosh's Raincoat pleading it was too early for her to attempt something so unconventional.

Then came Priyanka Chopra who was quite kicked about the part. But she and the film's then-producer Sanjay Gupta had a fall-out earlier when she had said no to his Musafir. The role then went to Urmila Matondkar who had monetary issues with the producer."

With the film changing hands from Sanjay Gupta to Reliance it is undertood that money is no longer an issue.

If sources are to be believed Chamki has now gone back to the two original choices Kareena and Priyanka.

Says the source, "Kareena continues to have reservations about non-mainstream cinema. She was recently offered another heroine-oriented film by Rituparno Ghosh. She declined.

Barring Pritish Nandy Communications Chameli she has never returned to non-mainstream cinema. But now Chamki, set in Rajasthan, is being re-designed as a big broad epic musical with super choreography and lavish songs by Javed Akhtar and A R Rahman. No expense will be spared to make Chamki a big blockbuster."

According to sources Priyanka more than Kareena is the natural choice to play Chamki since the role requires a trained dancer.

Priyanka when contacted said she was open to the offer. "But I read the script ages ago. The whole project now has to evaluated afresh. And who wouldn't want to work with Shyam Benegal?"