There are reports which suggest that Aishwarya Rai has been signed to play the female lead opposite Vivek Oberoi in Roland Joffe´s "Invaders". The film, a $40 million project, produced by Ajey Jhankar's Neelmudra Entertainment, will have Ash playing the role of an Indian spy girl. Vivek plays a brave and unsung Indian soldier called Udaji in the film.

‘The Invaders' goes on the floors with a 100-day schedule that is likely to last over 20 weeks from September. However, Ash will busy shooting till October for Gurinder Chadha's ‘Bride and Prejudice' in the UK and USA. She is reported to be adjusting her dates of other Bollywood projects so that she could shoot in November 2003 for ‘The Invaders'.

Ash and Vivek seem to be becoming the new hottest pair in Bollywood. Besides ‘The Invaders' the duo are also acting together in Sameer Karnik's Kyon? Ho Gaya Na Pyar. And the latest rumor has it the ‘showman' Subhash Ghai is thinking of signing the two for his next venture.