When it rains, it pours. Aishwarya Rai, Bollywood's current numero uno, is enjoying her status so much that she has set her eyes beyond her rivals from the tinselville. No she isn't competing with models or ministers but the glam dolls of the Hindi film world perhaps are passé for her. And so she has taken on a less popular actress, though a volcano of talent in her own right, Nandita Das, as the next target.

The dusky actress, Das, most ably suited to be the contender for the slot left by late Smita Patil, is slowly but definitely making her mark in middle-of-the-road cinema. She is looking at mainstream films too but on her own terms and is in no hurry to prove a point to big time Bollywood producers about her potential.But when Bengal's hope for meaningful cinema, Rituparno Ghosh announced Tagore's Chokher Bali, he would have none but Das play the central character along with Raima Sen. Nandita too wanted ‘great buddy' Akshaye Khanna to play the lead opposite her and would have managed a casting coup of sorts in a Bengali film till Ghosh put the project on hold till December.

That turned out to be her undoing. For by August, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas had hit the screens worldwide with the new toast of the season Ash, ruling the roost. As Ash got wind of the project she decided to play her cards well with a request to play Bengal's Nobel Laureate's heroine. Cashing in on the Bengali flavour of her character, Paro's appeal, Ghosh too gave in and has now roped in the doe-eyed beauty as his heroine. So excited is she that she has promised the director her "utmost cooperation." It remains to be seen how much of Tagore's original nayika she embodies. Going by her past records, all one expects is merely a stilted anglicized Bengali saree clad splendor. Shotti!