/> About his much-touted Ramayan, director Raj Santoshi says he has selected the South Indian actor Prakash Raj to play Ravan opposite Ajay Devgan's Ram in Ramayan.

"It's a decision we took after much deliberation. Only North Indian actors would be cast as members of King Dasharath's clan in Ayodhya. Hence Ajay plays Ram and Riteish Deshmukh has been finalized to play Laxman.

All of Ravan's clan will be cast from the South," says Santoshi, after his Ajay Devgan-Vidya Balan starrer Halla Bal, and also trying to get Salman's dates for his dream project London Dreams in place.

There's also the comedy that Raj Santoshi is planning to make with Pankaj Kapoor and his son Shahid. "I've met both, and the project is on.

It will be an out-and-out slapstick comedy with Pankaj-ji and Shahid playing father and son. I haven't returned to comedy since Andaz Apna Apna. It's time I had myself some laughs," chuckles the prolific director.

Ramayan starts shooting in February or March 2008.

Prakash Raj who has been selected to play Ravan is a prolific Telugu actor. He was recently offered the chance to play the sandalwood bandit Veerappan in a film that Veerappan's wife wanted to produce. Prakash Raj declined the offer.