by Subhash K Jha

Sushmita never ceases to scale stunning heights. She has a great sense of history and has repeatedly confessed she would love to be part of a historical project. Unfortunately that one project hasn't materialized ..Until Now.

Things are about to change. If all goes well Sushmita will be playing Emperor Ashoka's fifth wife in a film on the Mauryan emperor that the passionate Pinjar director Dr Chandraprakash Diwedi is about to make.

Diwedi has been working round-the-clock on the project. "I've met Sushmita for Ashoka and not for Jhansi Ki Rani, as reported in a section of the press. And she's shown a keen interest. It's a role only she can play . And she's extremely excited about it."

Two years ago Sushmita had been offered an item song in Santosh Sivan's Ashoka. She had said no. "If I do a historical I'd want to be more integral to it," she had argued.

Now's her chance. So what's the truth about Jhansi Ki Rani ? Apparently Sushmita is sold on the idea of playing Jhansi Ki Rani. She has been researching the part and grabbing every book available on it.

Elaborates the dynamic Dr Diwedi, "But I haven't offered to make Jhani Ki Rani with Sushmita or with any one else. As far as I know Ketan Mehta is making Jhansi Ki Rani with Aishwarya Rai. This is nothing but an attempt to play up the two actresses.

Let me state once and for all...I've no plans of making Jhansi Ki Rani. I'm working on Prithviraj-Sanjukta which will have Sunny Deol, and Ashoka which may star a major Hollywood actor."

Dr Diwedi admits that Sushmita has spoken to him about Jhansi Ki Rani. "She's keenly interested in the character and seemed very impressed by my historical research. She asked me numerous questions about it. She may ask me to write the film for her which I'd have no problems agreeing to do."