Film director Ashutosh Gowarikar will begin shooting a period romance next month starring top actors Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, newspapers reported on Friday.

The movie is a 16th century love story between a Muslim emperor and a Hindu princess, Gowarikar told The Times of India newspaper. The film would be shot in palaces and forts in western and northern India, he said.

"It's a love story about one of the biggest alliances of the 16th century,'' he said. Titled "Akbar-Jodha,'' the movie will be released next year.

The film centers on how an arranged marriage between Emperor Akbar and his wife turned into love. The movie focusses on the couple when they were young and will span their lives from the age of 13 to 28.

"We have always known that Jodha and Akbar married and Salim was their child, but what about how the relationship came about and a sharing of cultures,'' he told a newspaper.

Gowarikar's last big ventures include "Swades'' starring Shah Rukh Khan and Oscar nominated "Lagaan'' with Aamir Khan in the lead.