His low profile marriage may have taken the industry by surprise but lady luck already seems to be smiling on Dharmesh Darshan, with Venus Cassettes and Records, signing him to direct its forthcoming project.

The head honcho of Venus, Ratan Jain, is said to have coaxed Dharmesh into taking the decision after he met him at his Pali hill residence. The buzz is that the film will be shot on a big scale and some big names are being considered for it. Ratan Jain was not available for comment but Ganesh Jain, who heads the music division of Venus, revealed that discussions were on on with Dharmesh at a preliminary stage.

"We will make an official announcement once the talks are concluded," Jain revealed. Venus is expected to emerge a major contender on the production scene this year, with a few other projects lined up. One of them is a forthcoming film with director David Dhawan, which is likely to take off in the next few months, once David is through with SHAADI NO. 1.

Venus recently acquired the music rights of SHAADI NO. 1 and Vashu Bhagnani's other film, SILSILAY, at an exorbitant price, though it has been against the policy of paying high prices for music.

Meanwhile, Venus' ongoing production, GARAM MASALA, starring Akshay Kumar and John Abraham, is progressing at a brisk pace, with both Akshay and John, now becoming thick friends and the kind of rapport they share with each other. The film, which is 50 percent complete, will now begin its final spell of shooting in Mauritius next month.