India’s tryst with Hollywood promises to get bigger. Twilight beauty Kristen Stewart, for instance, continues to rank high on filmmaker Shekhar Kapur’s wishlist for his ambitious film, Paani.
The Elizabeth director has just wrapped up the final draft of the script and is all set to approach Kristen to star in his film.“I have just finished the eighth draft of Paani’s script. I’m going to send the script to Kristen,” says Kapur. “I have had a conversation with her about the film but I have no idea whether she’ll accept the offer or not.”
Last year, there were reports that Kristen was already part of Paani. Her representative had clarified, “…She is not set to star in this film.” Kapur too had said, “…People are jumping to conclusions.”
Besides Kristen, Hrithik Roshan was also believed to be playing the male lead. But Kapur clarifies that the casting process is yet to start. “I do have certain actors in mind but I shouldn’t go on record about the cast until everything is finalised,” he says, adding the film has a lavish budget.
“Paani isn’t a small film. After all, it is a $35 million venture. And I’m not going through the standard studio procedure for production. My film will be an independently-funded project. All such things, obviously, take time,” says Kapur, adding that his film will go on the floors as soon as the cast is in place.
If Kristen accepts the role, she will play a stunning wealthy girl who will romance the male lead. It’s believed that the futuristic Paani is about a lower-class Mumbai rebel who stealthily visits the more elite part of the city where a beautiful girl crosses his path, and they fall in love.
