Kamal to direct for LOTR producer

One of Hollywood's most distinguished producers, Barrie M Osborne, who produced the Lord Of The Rings series, will soon produce a film starring and directed by Kamal Hassan.

It all happened when Osborne watched Hassan's latest film, Vishwaroop, and fell in love with it.

Says a source, "Right after the screening in Los Angeles earlier this month, Barrie asked Kamal to find a script, direct it and star in it. Initially Kamal brushed it off. But Barrie was so persistent that Kamal had to consider the offer. He has now zeroed in on a suitable subject."

"It's really not the right time to talk about it, but Osborne watched Vishwaroop and suggested we do something together," said Hassan.

Osborne, known for his big-budget Hollywood productions such as Dick Tracy, The Big Chill and Fandango (the film that apparently inspired Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) has liked Hassan's script. Details for the production and locations are now being worked out.

Osborne has also produced The Great Gatsby, the recent adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's novel, in which Amitabh Bachchan claims to have done a cameo performance.

But Hassan, who has known Big B ever since when they worked in Giraftaar together, brushes off the senior actor's claim. "Bachchan saab has a pivotal role in the film. He plays the conduit between the two heroes. It may be a small role in terms of screen time but it's full of impact - far more than my friends Om Puri in Wolf or Anil Kapoor in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol."

Osborne on his part, can't stop raving about Hassan and Vishwaroop, "I love Kamal's acting, writing and direction. I loved the integrity of the film. The story is surprising and exciting. It gets you right into the thick of things and then keeps you off-balance."u00a0