Tamil Nadu's maverick performer Kamal Haasan is on to his new thrill. And it's called "Mumbai Express".

In the thriller Kamal Haasan plays a cop. And he's found himself a surprising leading lady in Manisha Koirala.

Says Kamal Haasan, "We've finally zeroed in on Manisha Koirala".

That brings to an end a three-month long ordeal during which various leading ladies from Bollywood, including Tabu and Bipasha Basu, were sounded out ...only to reach a dead end.

Press reports in the south that said Kajol had been signed are completely false, said the talented actor.

"We did approach her, and she seemed responsive. But the dates didn't suit her duties as a mother."

"When we approached Manisha she immediately said yes. She was finalised on the 16th of Novemeber. She flew down to Chennai on the 17th for a photo-shoot, and that was it," says Kamal Haasan with an appreciative smile.

Adds Manisha Koirala from Mumbai, "Of course I said yes to him blindly and immediately. Kamalji is like.... My God! We start shooting mid-December. I can hardly wait."

The two earlier starred together in the Hindi-Tamil "Alabandan"("Abhay" in Hindi).

It's been a while since Manisha faced the camera. She has been away in New York doing an acting course. After her return last month, Kamal Haasan's Hindi-Tamil bi-lingual is the first film she has signed. The film is being financed by Bharat Shah.