by Subhash K Jha

It looks like there would be more than one film depicting an aging man's passion for a very young girl.

After the sensational announcement from Ram Gopal Varma regarding his Amitabh Bachchan film Nishabd on the Lolita syndrome, it now comes to light that the long-in-hibernation Shashilal Nair is also doing a version of Lolita.

Says Ramu, "Yes, Shashilal Nair called me up. I want to clarify that Nishabd has nothing to do with Lolita....not really. I'm glad Shashilal told me about it. Ever since the news came out I'm flooded with sms messages.

One tells me, 'Finally you've come out of the clichés.' Another says, 'You'll completely ruin Lolita,' But Lolita is not my immediate inspiration. Any film about an older man and a young girl is bound to look like Lolita."

Shashilal Nair is forthright and wary of controversy. "Please I don't want to be in another controversy! I've had enough of them. I just want to make another film after so long. In fact I'm already shooting Lolita.

People have already started making comments about how after Ek Chotisi Love Story (where an older woman falls in love with a teenaged boy) I'm making a reversed love story about a middleaged man Jackie Shroff and a 15-year old girl."

Shashilal has already shot seven days with Jackie. "Yes, though Dimple is no longer there I've already started shooting my film about a 45-year old man and a 15-year old girl. I've even titled it as Lolita. The girl is a new actress Pallavi. I auditioned 40-50 young girls before finding Pallavi."

The director wants to make it clear that his version of the story came long before Ram Gopal Varma announced his film. "The moment I read his announcement I ran to Ramu. He told me he isn't making Lolita. Both our films are in the same genre. I wanted to keep it under wraps until I completed the film.

I had even forbidden Jackie from talking about it. But this announcement has made me worried. I didn't want Ramu to think of me as a me-too making a quickie. Ramu's project is a huge 20-crore rupee Bachchan project. Mine is a small 2-crore rupee project.

It won't be in good taste if I launched a quickie version while the original was in production. I wanted Ramu to know I've already started my Lolita. Koi aur hota to main explain nahin karta. I respect and admire Ramu. And now he's coming into a genre that isn't his."

Shashilal denies his Lolita would be sexually explicit. "The theme is bold. But there's no need for sex. It's an intense love story. It's the plight of a man trapped in a hopeless romance.

I think Lolita is the greatest love story ever. Jackie feels it's the only film with which he can make a comeback. He's at the right age to play this role. We 've worked together several times. Now we want to create magic together."

The director has still not gotten over the controversies surrounding his last film. "I was miserable.I went off to London for two years. Now I'm back. After our first schedule I'm shooting again for Lolita from 17 April. Then we wrap up in May. After that I'll prepare myself for the brickbats."