John and Rituparno patch up

Problem sorted

John is Bhootnath and Arjun
"John and I have sorted out our differences. Not just Bhootnath, I also want him to play Arjun in my Draupadi, where Bipasha will be Draupadi. He has the right personality for my version of the epic. Initially, I did have reservations about John as Bhootnath. But I also had reservations about Kirron Kher in Bariwali. Once I came to terms with John as Bhootnath, I decided to re-write the character to suit his persona."

Woman's take

Draupadi goes into shooting in September 2006. Ritu describes it as a mixture of B R Chopra's Mahabharat and Peter Brooks' take on the Hindu epic.

"Draupadi has a huge canvas. We can't possibly show her whole life. It's the Mahabharat, seen from Draupadi's point of view. It would be very intimate, woman-centric and minimalist. I think B R Chopra did a great job of familiarising the nation with the Mahabharat. Now everyone know who's who in the epic, so my job is made easier."

Right look

"Bipasha was chosen primarily for her complexion," says the director. "Colour politics is very important in the Mahabharat. Three of the characters — Krishna, Vyas and Draupadi — have to be really dark.

Bipasha is a contemporary actress. For me, getting the look right is half the battle won. She has the sensuality, enigma and beauty. When I worked in Chokher Bali with Aishwarya Rai, everyone said she was plastic. But see what she did."

Draupadi will be made at an estimated budget of Rs 8 crore. "That isn't too much money. I don't see my Draupadi as a lavish, flamboyant, kitschy epic. But the entire film will be shot outdoors in Ladakh. My story starts after the great epic war."

The director wants regional actors to play the Pandavas. "That would make mine a pan-Indian film," he says. "But for Dhritarashtra and Kunti, I want Naseer (Shah) and Shabana (Azmi); Shabana has already agreed. All the Pandavas have to be tall and rugged."

Two epics

Ritu has lined up two period epics for this year. "Making Draupadi and then going into Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam will be no stress for me," he maintains. "Yes, they're much bigger films than my two new Bengali films, Dosor and Khela. But making epics isn't a daunting task. No matter what size the film, its making will fill you with the nervous excitement of trying out the unknown. Though making Sahib, Bibi… will be easier than Draupadi. I know the milieu."