Madhur Bhandarkar to direct Ash

After getting superlative performances out of Tabu in Chandni Bar and Konkona Sen-Sharma in Page 3, it is Aishwarya Rai's turn to get into the Madhur Bhandarkar mould.

The film, entitled Corporate, is Bhandarkar's scathing and hardhitting look at the enigmatic world of entrepreneurship.

Says the revved-up director, "You could say Corporate will do to the business world what Page 3 did to the glamorous social circles of Mumbai. In fact, Corporate is the second part of my proposed trilogy. The third part will be called Signal. It will take an honest look at the people we encounter at the traffic lights of Mumbai -- the street children, the beggars, newspaper sellers, eunuchs…"

Why Ash for Corporate? "It's the role of a scheming, ambitious and ruthless entrepreneur. The character goes through innumerable stages of growth and change. I wanted someone with the personality of a complete woman. Ash fitted the bill perfectly."

More on rediff.com! First Look: Aamir's Mangal Pandey Dus is full-on timepass Fareb : Hot women, thanda film

Ash's character is based on a real-life entrepreneur. "But on record I'd just like to say she's as similar to a real-life character as (Amitabh) Bachchan Saab in Sarkar," Madhur says.

He adds, "Her dates need to be worked out. We're in the process of doing this."

The director, who has been wanted to work with Ash right from the time he directed Chandni Bar, continues: "And why not? Going by what I've achieved with other actresses like Tabu, Raveena Tandon (Satta) and Konkona, don't you think I can work wonders with Aishwarya Rai?"