Deepak Tijori to direct Naseer, Tabu?

New Delhi, Nov 14 (IANS) After directing films full of sex and sleaze that flopped at the box office, Deepak Tijori is changing lanes and now plans to make a contemporary thriller with Naseeruddin Shah and Tabu.

'Nothing is official so far. But, yes, I have met Tabu. She is an old friend of mine and recently when I bumped into her I told her that I have a desire to work with her. I have shown her my script and she has liked it. Naseer bhai also liked the script and he has agreed to work. But nobody has been officially signed right now,' Tijori told IANS on phone from Mumbai.

'Apart from Naseer bhai and Tabu, there's one more actor to be finalised, for which I am meeting a few people. And once I confirm the actor and the production house, we shall officially make the announcement,' he added.

In his earlier films - 'Tom Dick and Harry', 'Fareb', 'Khamoshh... Khauff Ki Raat' and 'Oops! (2003) - he used sleaze to lure audience but it didn't work.

Asked why a sudden jump from commercial to parallel cinema, he replied: 'Why do you presume it's parallel cinema when one casts Naseer bhai and Tabu? Especially today, there's nothing like experimental or parallel cinema. Our audience has grown in leaps and bounds.

'As far as this particular film is concerned, I'm not making any art film, it's purely commercial and trust me you will be surprised to find them in the shades that they portray in this film.'

The yet-untitled film is likely to go on the floors early next year.