by Subhash K Jha

A replay of the Bhagat Singh kind of confrontation between Ajay Devgan and Sunny Deol has been averted. Raj Kumar Santoshi has withdrawn his proposed project to make Prithviraj-Sanjukta with Ajay Devgan.He's instead making Ashoka with Devgan

The coast is clear for the eminently gifted Chandraprakash Diwedi who has already met Sunny Deol over several lengthy sessions and has finalized the actor for the coveted part.

Says the director, "I first went all the way to Florida to meet Sunny. At that time I didn't know Santoshiji was planning the same project. His one press statement about this project put brakes on my plans."

Apparently UTV had agreed to produce Diwedi 's historical, but backed out after Santoshi announce his project.

But now Diwedi now decided to go ahead with the project. He has locked in on the producer. "It isn't Sunny. Though he'd have loved to produce this film he has burnt his hands too often...I had been warned against Sunny.

But when I met him I knew he was correct for Prithiviraj. When I met him I told him this role wasn't in keeping with his image and that I wouldn't let him do what he has been doing."

Sushmita Sen is also expected to be a pivotal part of Prithviraj-Sanjukta, though not in the title role.

After the powerful paean to the Partition of India, Dr Chandraprakash Diwedi who shot to everlasting fame as the maker of India-first televised bio-pic Chanakya, is all set to launch Prithviraj-Sanjukta as his second feature film.

Another project swimming in the director 's vision is Ashoka featuring in all probability Richard Gere. Diwedi has reservations about Santosh Sivan's version of Ashoka.

"I feel he was not so much interested in recreating Ashoka's life as going into specific areas of the Emperor's personality.

Santosh's film wasn't chronologically correct either. It took too many historical liberties...Even Mangal Pandey disappointed on so many levels...But I won't give up making historicals."

Chandraprakash's earlier work Pinjar suffered due to ill marketing. "The producer and couldn't I see eye to eye on the marketing. Eventually I'll have to produce my own films. But I remain fascinated by historicals. I 'd love to make a non-historical. But I end up going back in history."

Some Remarkable Recent Historicals

Chandraprakash Diwedi's Chanakya (Doordarshan)
Santosh Sivan's Ashoka
Shyam Benegal's Bose The Forgotten Hero
Raj Kumar Santoshi's The Legend Of Bhagat Singh
Ketan Mehta's Sardar
Jabbar Pattel's Ambedkar
Ketan Mehta's Mangal Pandey
Feroz Khan's The Mahatma Versus Gandhi (ready for release)
Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodha-Akbar (ready for release)
Chandraprakash Diwedi 's Prithviraj-Sanjukta (in the pipeline)
Raj Kumar Santoshi's Ashoka (in the pipeline)