Priyadarshan to work with Aamir on AIDS film

MUMBAI - Priyadarshan has worked with Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. The prolific director is now set to work with the third Khan - Aamir - and it will be a film on AIDS.

“I met Aamir and narrated my idea. He loved it. I now need to complete the script,” said Priyadarshan.

The film on AIDS will have no songs, no comedy and no commercial trappings at all and it is likely to be produced by Aamir himself.

Priyadarshan’s other Hindi film “Tezz” is on hold and the filmmaker is more than happy to go back to his roots in Kerala and start a venture with his favourite actor Mohanlal.

“So for now I’m back in Kerala writing a Malayalam film. It’s a comedy with my favourite actor Mohanlal called ‘The Arab Camel & Madhavan Nair’ to be shot in Abu Dhabi,” Priyadarshan said.

He chose Abu Dhabi as it has a large Malayalee population.

“Even the traffic cops and taxi drivers in Abu Dhabi speak Malayalam…I haven’t directed a Malayalam film in seven years so I’m very excited,” he added.

The comedy will also be made in Hindi.

“I haven’t gone to Mumbai for three months.I was getting very uncomfortable with what was required of me in Mumbai. Now I’ll return only to complete ‘Tezz’ and to direct the AIDS film with Aamir Khan,” Priyadarshan said.

So what happened to “Tezz”, the large-budget action thriller featuring Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Sunil Shetty, Kangna Ranaut, Tusshar Kapoor and Zayed Khan?

The film is waiting for the sun to shine on its fatequite literally. The makers are waiting for the sun to come out in Scotland where the rest of the film is to be shot.

Explained Priyadarshan: “About 40 percent of the film remains to be shot. I will complete it in one stretch in Scotland. But we cannot shoot it before summer when the sun comes out. I hope to complete and release ‘Tezz’ by year-end.”

The only comedy that the filmmaker is committed to doing is the sequel to “Malaamal Weekly” for Percept Pictures. Entitled “Malaamal Robbery”, it will be about a group of people robbing a bank only to discover it has no money.

“But no more comedies like ‘De Dana Dan’ for me,” Priyadarshan added.