Venus has signed director Priyadarshan to direct its next film after the newly released "Hulchul", reports Bollywood Trade.

Venus has also confirmed that Priyadarshan's favourites, Akshaye Khanna and Paresh Rawal, both of whom were seen in "Hungama" and "Hulchul", will feature in the film.

"He is a great director in his own right and we share an excellent tuning with each other. There is no reason why we shouldn't have a long-term relationship with him," says Ratan Jain, commenting on Venus' decision to sign Priyadarshan for its third film.

Incidentally, Priyadarshan is also a hot favourite with Sunil Shetty and his Popcorn Pictures, which recently signed the former for a film to be jointly produced with Ashtavinayak Cine Vision.