Ash teams up with Meryl Streep

<div class="section1"><div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="73.5%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><script language="javascript" src="Config?Configid=43376741"></script><br /><a href="javascript:popUp(&quot1;photopop?msid=93092&type=0&quot1;)"> <img border="0" align="left" src="/cms.dll/thumb?height=254&width=254&photoID=93092" hspace="12"" /></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="">Click to enlarge picture</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Aishwarya Rai has signed a film opposite Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep, according to an article in </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Time''s</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold=""> Asia edition for October.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">The pair will team up with French director Coline Serreau for an English-language remake of Serreau''s </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Chaos</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">, a critically acclaimed drama in which a young prostitute, Malika (Rai), is beaten up by street thugs and rescued by Helene (Streep), a middle-class housewife who helps her plot her revenge.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Filming is expected to begin in March of next year.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">"It will be the first time I am playing such a role and I am highly excited," Rai told </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Mid-Day</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">. "I have always been a fan of Meryl Streep''s since childhood and would love working with her." </span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">This will be the second English-language film for the Bollywood superstar, who''s currently filming </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Bride & Prejudice</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold=""> with Martin Henderson (of </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">The Ring </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">fame), for director Gurinder Chadha.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Rai is also signed to star as Mumtaz in Bharatbala''s IMAX presentation </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Taj Mahal</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold=""> for release in 2005, and in </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">The Rising</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold=""> opposite Aamir Khan, which will begin production later this year.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Rai appeared on the cover of the October 27 edition of </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Time Asia</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold=""> and was listed in Rolling Stone''s annual "Who''s Hot" list this summer.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold=""> </span><br /></div> </div>