Ash walks the streets!

Looks like playing the sex worker is every actress' dream role. Take Tabu in Chandni Bar, Manisha Koirala in Market or Kareena Kapoor in the forthcoming Chameli.

Now, Aishwarya Rai has joined the gang.

According to gallata.com, her latest film, Chaos, sees her as a sex walker. It will be directed by French director Coline Serreau and will co-star Hollywood actress Meryl Streep. The film is about a sex worker and a woman trying to find freedom from a selfish husband and a ruthless pimp.

It will go on the floors in March 2004.

Revathy to direct Abhishek

Her directorial debut Mitr: My Friend earned rave reviews and a National Award for Shobhana.

Now, Revathy is ready to direct her second film. Starring Abhishek Bachchan and Shilpa Shetty, the film will be based on the Hollywood film, Philadelphia. According to gallata.com, Abhishek will play Denzel Washington's part and Shilpa will play Tom Hank's part, the AIDS victim.

Revathy's husband Suresh Menon will produce the film.

Mohanlal's first Kannada film

For Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, it was the offer of playing an 'interesting' taxi driver in Dubai who eventually unites two lovers, that made him take on his first Kannada film in a 25-year acting career.

"It was an irresistible offer. A unique character," the actor says of his role in Kannada film Love. The film will be produced and directed by S V Rajendrasingh Babu.

Mohanlal, who has acted in over 250 films, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, claims that except for the language, acting in a Kannada film is no different.

"It's just another film. I cannot call it a Kannada film, except for the language," he says.

The actor whose last Hindi film was Ram Gopal Varma's Company, has no more Hindi films lined up. "Acting in Hindi films is not a big thing. There should be some purpose. I am comfortable in Malayalam cinema."

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Love stars Babu's son Aditya and Appu-fame Rakshita in lead roles. The director claims that shooting in Allahabad and Varanasi have been completed. The cast and crew will leave for a month-long shoot in Dubai on November 9.

Contributed by PTI

Film on water conservation

Sandeep Varma's film on water conservation will be one of the shortest documentaries to feature in the eighth International Film Festival of Kerala.

The film, which lasts 73 seconds, has a mime artiste performing his daily ablutions. It adopts a humorous way to drive home the fact that people waste about 200 litres of water every day.

The festival will take place in Thiruvananthapuram between December 12 and 19.

Other films that will feature in the festival are Paul Cox's The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinksy, Sasi Kumar's Journey of Naked Land, Suja's An Encounter With A Life Living, Madhu Eravankara's Nishadam, M Venukumar's Jeevankalayude-Pulluvageetham, Franny Armstrong's Drowned Out, Avi Mograbi's August and Kim Longinotto's The Day I Will Never Forget.

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