After Hollywood star Richard Gere came to Kathmandu this year to renew old ties and interact with the Tibetan community, it is now the turn of Bollywood's rising star Gracy Singh to follow in his footsteps.

But the actor, who had made a dream debut in the blockbuster "Lagaan" that went on to represent India at the Oscars, is not here on a personal visit. The petite Gracy arrived last week as part of Kannada director Nagendra Prasad's film unit to shoot for a new venture, "Megave, Megave".

Prasad chose to shoot parts of the film in Kathmandu and its neighbouring towns since the locale is appropriate for the love story that literally means clouds.

Popular Kannada hero Ram stars opposite Gracy and the film will also see Nepali belle Saru Joshi make her debut in a Kannada film.

There have been earlier instances of Indian directors looking for local talent.

Dev Anand started the trend in his blockbuster "Hare Ram Hare Krishna". The Sonu Nigam starrer "Love in Nepal" is the latest example. It cast a former Miss Nepal, Jharana Bajracharya, as the film's sultry siren.

In 2003, when Maoist insurgents called a truce, Bollywood rushed to take advantage of the peace and shot some films in Nepal's picturesque towns.

Govinda and Priyanka Chopra were among those who came to shoot. Karishma Kapoor came on a private visit.

Bollywood star Manisha Koirala keeps coming to Nepal since this is her home. Last week, she came from Mumbai for the last rites of her grandmother Sushila Koirala.

However the weather let Prasad down Tuesday. Though the unit was scheduled to leave Kathmandu early in the day and head for Nagarkot town, known for its scenic beauty, the plan was shelved at the last moment due to an overcast sky and a continuous drizzle.