Abhi-Ash in Mani Ratnam's Next

Abhishek-Aishwarya to star in Mani Ratnam's next

By Subhash K. Jha

It had to happen. After Guru the movie-making maverick, Mani Ratnam, was bound to return to his favourite actor. It comes as no surprise to know Abhishek Bachchan and Mani Ratnam will team up again for their third film together.

After the terrific tuning that they shared during Yuva (which Abhishek describes as his career's first turning-point) and Guru (which he acknowledges as his second turning-point), it doesn't require much calculation to see the creative and commercial viability of the Mani-Abhishek pair. Abhishek's better- half too is back in the Mani- fold.

Coming out of his bereavement (Mani lost his brother earlier this year), Mani Ratnam is all set to announce a supple romantic film featuring filmdom's foremost marital pair. Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan will come together in Mani Ratnam's film that starts shooting in September.

According to a source very close to the project, "It's going to be a very intense love story. Where Guru was more a bio-pic with a cavalcade of characters claiming screen space, this film will focus primarily on the romance. It's a very intense film. Mani's most romantic film to date. And yes, it's again based on real life characters."