Kapur & son

It's final. Shahid Kapoor will be taking nine months off starting this November to work on his father Pankaj Kapur's first directorial venture, Mausam. Since Shahid wants to give all his time to Pankaj Kapur's film, he won't do any other film until July 2010.

Mausam is an out-and-out romantic film to be shot in five countries - Austria, the UK, Spain, Italy and India. Shahid will start shooting for the film in the last week of January 2010.

Pankaj Kapur with Shahid Kapoor

A reliable source says, "Though there is still some time before the shooting starts, Shahid will begin preparing for the film long before January 2010. He has been urging his father to direct a film for many years. In fact, if Shahid had his way, his debut would've been with his father's film. But Pankaj likes to work at his own pace and only with those he's comfortable with. They've found the right producer now."

Pankaj Kapur's directorial debut will be produced by Religare Vistaar Entertainment.

"The romantic film's screenplay, written by Pankaj Kapur, spreads over 10 years," adds a source.

A new girl for whom an all-India hunt will begin soon will be launched with Shahid in Mausam. Commenting on the kind of girl the filmmakers are looking for, the source says, "The girl has to be fresh-faced, innocent, virginal and has to have a never-seen-before quality."

Sheetal Talwar, chairman and managing director of Religare, confirms the news and says, "I'm not denying any of what you've heard but I'm not at liberty to talk about it at the moment."