/> After Nandita Das another avant-garde actresss Deepti Naval has turned director.

Do Paise Ki Dhoop Chaar Aane Ki Baarish......that's the massively poetic Shantaram-meets-Gulzar title of Deepti Naval's directorial debut.

The super-gifted self-proclaimed creative nomad who dabbles in painting, poetry, acting and direction had earlier resolved to make a film with Madhuri Dixit.

"That was another script altogether, " reveals Deepti shyly from her beautifully-appointed apartment in suburban Mumbai where her sister from New York has currently joined her.

"The main lead for that didn't work out. Madhuri got busy with the Yashraj Film (Aaja Nachle).And she asked me to come and shoot the film in the US. But since that script required me to shoot in the Himachal district I decided to put it aside for now."

Do Paise Ki Dhoop Chaar Aane Ki Baarish is a thought Deepti had in her head. "After the other project didn't materialize the producers suggested that I develop it. I decided to write screenplay. It was ready in about a month."

A film about the relationship among three characters one of whom happens to be a little boy whom Deepti has brought over from New York, the director sahiba initially wanted a far more earthy actress.

"The character couldn't be as pretty as Manisha. I thought of Sonali Kulkarni who's a wonderful actress and also very beautiful in her own way and just right for my film. But then Manisha with her ethereal beauty seemed a bigger challenge.

Besides she's also a close friend. She has taken pains to make sure her intrinsic beauty is diminished in my film."

Manisha has never been happier.

Says the the actresss happily, "It's one thing to do a good film. That in itself is a big high. But to be directed by Deepti who's my closest friend is like a dream come true."

Deepti and Manisha go back a long way.

"We've been on the coolest of holidays together to the remotest parts of the world. She's a 4-am friend. We don't have to speak every day. But we know exactly when we need one another. I find Deepti superbly sensitive to my skills as an actress, whatever they may be.

This is the best script I've ever worked in, and I've a role to die for, " says Manisha whose awesome track record includes such masterpieces as Mani Ratnam's Bombay, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Khamoshi: The Musical and Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 1942: A Love Story.

The film features Rajit Kapoor (not Rajat Kapoor, Rajit has acted in films like Shyam Benegal's The Making OF The Mahatma, Sardari Beghum and Suraj Ka Satwan Ghoda opposite Manisha.

Wonders Manisha, "Do I enjoy being directed by a woman more than a man? Hmmmm. Let me think. You know what? It's not about the gender. It's about the comfort level. Even if Deepti was a man I'd enjoy doing Do Paise Ki Dhoop Chaar Aane Ki Baarish just as much, " says Manisha and bursts into peals of laughter.