/> The creatively resourceful collaboration between Mira Nair and Vishal Bhardwan is soon going to be manifested in the short-film Blood Brothers that Vishal has made for Mira.

Now comes the news that the other NRI filmmaking- queen Deepa Mehta wants to produce an English-language version on his much-lauded Omkara.

"Yes, " admits Vishal. "She wanted to buy the rights of Omkara and make it into an English film when I met her in Canada. Then when I met her at IIFA two months ago she offered to convert Omkara into a play to be staged at Shakespeare's birth place."

At the moment Vishal is hugely excited about the release of his new film The Blue Umbrella on August 10.

"It's very different from my other film with children Makdee. It was made for kids. Blue Umbrella is more humorous humane and mature, like an Iranian film. Kids will have to be accompanied by parents for this one.

In those days right after Maqbool I was heavily into Iranian cinema. I came across this Ruskin Bond Good-versus-Evil story with an authentic setting. Blue Umbrella is a kids' films for adults."

Not too many people know The Blue Umbrella was ready before Omkara

"That's right, " laughs Vishal. "But my producer UTV wanted to give it an international release. But that was taking too long, since Umbrella isn't a conventional song-and-dance ethnic NRI film. That market, I feel, has spoilt our mainstream cinema.

That cinema and audience are caught in a time warp. In their cinematic entertainment the NRIs look for a country they left behind fifty years ago. Blue Umbrella is targeted at a white-skinned audience."

Vishal is very impressed by Iranian film. "Look at them. They make culture-specific films that are universal in appeal. That's what I aimed for in Blue Umbrella. We are such a self-sufficient market we don't look for non-traditional audiences, whereas European and Iranian cinema has to look outside their country for an audience."

Ironically Vishal's Maqbool never got released overseas.

Sighs Vishal, "Today when I see myself being announced as the director of Makdee, Maqbool and Omkara on the posters of Blue Umbrella I get a bit nervous. I don't want to live under any illusions about how much of the audience I can draw in.

Omkara had stars. Before that Maqbool didn't get the same audience though it was a equally powerful subject. So stars are really valuable to reach the masses. Let's see if Blue Umbrella can get audiences in without stars."

Vishal has his fingers crossed