23/12/2002 - Gurinder Chadha casts the beauteous Aishwayra Rai as the heroine of her spiced-up version of one of English literature's most beloved novels, "Pride and Prejudice"

Indian superstar Aishwarya Rai has signed on to star in Gurinder Chadha’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel, Pride And Prejudice-The Bollywood Musical. The project, produced by the Lottery Franchise Pathe Pictures, will start shooting in June 2003 in India, the UK and the US. France’s Pathe will distribute the film in the UK and France, with Pathé International handling worldwide sales.
Rai, a former “Miss World” and a huge superstar in her homeland, came to the forefront of international industry attention at the last Cannes Film Festival when Devdas, a film she starred in and also the most expensive Indian film of all time ($12m – Euros12m) was screened. It was also the first Bollywood film to be selected by Cannes.
In Chadha’s film, Rai will play Elizabeth Bennet and the male hero, Mr Darcy, will be played by an as-yet unknown US actor. Any Malik, India’s most famous composer will team up with the country’s most celebrated lyricists, the Akhtars, to write the score.
Chadha’s take on Pride and Prejudice is part of a growing trend of Bollywood films to spice up the UK and international film production and distribution sectors. Recent examples include Working Title’s The Guru and The Spice Factory’s Bollywood Queen.