by Subhash K Jha The Big B returned to India earlier this week from the London Film festival where he was greeted to a standing ovation.

He's now shooting for two back-to-back films Bhootnath and Alladdin where he plays a ghost and a djinn.

Says the Big B, "I am shooting for Bhootnath now, which completes by the middle of November. I start with Sujoy Ghosh's Alladdin soon after, as also Shoojit Sarkar's tentatively titled Shoebite, a working title just yet, and Leena Das's Teen Patti. All these will be on till December."

The Big B then starts work on his first full-fledged international project. "From January 2008 I'll be working with Mira Nair, Warner Bros and Johnny Depp on Shantaram."

For some time now, the rumour mills have been insiting that the Big B is going bald for Mira Nair's film.

The Big B richly rubbishes the rumours. "This is completely untrue! I've no knowledge of any such requirement for Mira's film, nor have I spoken to anyone about it. When I heard about this I spoke to Mira, and she rubbished it.

She told me she hasn't even envisaged me as bald for Shantaram let alone share it with the media which is so busy imagining me bald through morphed pictures on the net, etc.But sorry I'm not obliging."

The closest the Big B has come to facial innovation is the trimmed beard to play the cop's role in Khakee and the hip ponytail for the chef's role in Cheeni Kum.

Comes the wry remark, "That's as far as I go. My face is ugly enough. I cannot do anything to improve it. Nothing can save it."

After Shantaram the Big B has Pocket Maar with Ravi Chopra.

"Ram Gopal Varma, Balki, Prasoon Pandey, Deepa Mehta and a few others are under consideration," he concludes.