Shekar Kapur's new mantra!

Shekhar Kapur and Vishal Bharadwaj have joined hands to make a feature film in Hindi.

Titled Mantra, the film, based on a story idea by Kapur, will be directed by Bharadwaj and scripted by him and Abbas Tyrewala.

Bharadwaj and Tyrewala had earlier teamed together for the children's film Makdee and Bharadwaj's internationally acclaimed dark drama, Maqbool. Kapur will produce Mantra.

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Kapur and Bharadwaj met at the recent Marrakech Film Festival in Morocco, where Maqbool, which stars Om Puri, Naseerudin Shah and Tabu, enjoyed a special screening. The film, which is loosely adapted from William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, met with a positive response.

Kapur, who had recently seen Maqbool, was highly impressed with the film. Friendship bloomed between him and Bharadwaj and they were often spotted walking down the streets of Marrakech, late into the night, discussing films. One day, when they were seated in a tiny teashop, Kapur mooted the idea for Mantra. Baradwaj was so taken by the concept that they struck a deal immediately.

In good humour, Kapur dug into his pockets and pulled out all the dirhams (Moroccan currency) he had and gave them to Bharadwaj as a signing amount.

Mantra, like Kapur's earlier film Mr India, is said to cater to both kids and grown ups. The cast of the film is yet to be finalised.

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