Sushmita Sen’s dream project on hold ‘indefinitely’

NEW DELHI - Beauty queen-turned-actress Sushmita Sen has long dreamt of playing legendary freedom fighter Rani Laxmi Bai on the silver screen, but she will have to wait. Her pet project is “indefinitely on hold” due to cash constraints, Sushmita admits.

“‘Rani Laxmi Bai’, my home production, is indefinitely on hold till I have the funds to make the film the way I want to,” Sushmita told IANS on phone from Mumbai. ” ‘Laxmi Bai’ to me is a dream, it’s not just a film. So I can’t compromise with it at all.

“The script, the storyboard, everything is ready…it’s just a matter of putting in the money now and making the film.”

The actress admits she is disappointed with the deferment of the endeavour.

“When I open my production house, it’ll definitely be for producing films but I hoped ‘Rani Laxmi Bai’ will be the first one, which as of now, it won’t be,” she said.

Another project of the actress that has gathered much buzz but is also on hold is a biopic of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto - tentatively titled “Benazir Bhutto: The Movie”.

” ‘Benajir Bhutto…’ is also on hold,” Sushmita said. “We require the Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) permission to make the film and they have issues because it is a controversial subject. But whenever we get the clearance, I’ll play Benazir Bhutto.”

Last seen in English film “Karma, Confessions and Holi”, Sushmita is at present geared up with the release of “Do Knot Disturb”.

Produced by Big Pictures and Vashu Bhagnani, the film has been directed by David Dhawan. Releasing Oct 2, it is a comedy on marriage. It also stars Govinda, Lara Dutta and Riteish Deshmukh.

This is Sushmita’s fourth film with Dhawan after “Biwi No.1″ (1999), “Kyo Kii… Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta” (2001) and “Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya” (2005).

Asked if the Bengali beauty was drifting away to comedies with her repeated teaming-up with the director, Sushmita said: “After the kind of films I have done in the past, the last thing that can be done is brand me in any particular genre.

“I have done very different kind of films from experimental, non-experimental to commercial. If I look at commercial films then I either look at a love story or a comedy.

“Having said that, there is also ‘Dulha Mil Gaya’ and Aness Bazmee’s ‘No Problem’ and all of them have a touch of comedy, but I just hope that I don’t get branded into doing just that. It’s just that I enjoy doing comedies a lot,” she said.

In “Do Knot Disturb”, Sushmita will be teaming up with another former Miss Universe, Lara Dutta.

Asked if the combo would add to the oomph factor of the movie, she said: “Why not? Anything that adds to a film is a good thing. It’s ironic that after all this time we finally come together and Chichi (as Govinda is fondly called) gets to be the lucky guy to have a Miss Universe on both sides.”