It's finally happening. After months of exile thanks to the raw deal given to his war opus LOC, J P Dutta is back in business.

The movie mogul is ready to make two new films, both women-centric, that go back to an era and aura that most thought had been banished by a generation fed only candy floss and sugar-coated stories.

The first project is a brand new rendering of Muzaffar Ali's classic epic Umrao Jaan. Interestingly, it will feature Priyanka Chopra in the role that Rekha immortalised in the 1981 classic.

Why is he remaking Umrao Jaan? J P says, "After making war films where the boys stole the show and the girls got anxious in the background, I thought it was time to let the women come to the forefront."

Why Priyanka? "Among the current heroines, I think she has the ‘It' factor. She's sensuous, graceful and a very good Kathak dancer. If she watches her steps, the sky's the limit for her."

Initially, Priyanka was jittery about taking on such a complex role, that too one taken to dizzying heights of nostalgic glamour by Rekha.

"But I convinced her that she had it in her. Priyanka is an extremely focused girl. She knows exactly what is right for her. I'll make sure Priyanka is projected in a way that taps her full potential," says Dutta.

J P hopes to start shooting Umrao Jaan in October. "My father (veteran writer-director O P Dutta) wrote the script 20 years ago. So I've been waiting to start Umrao Jaan for many years," he says.

How will it be different from Muzaffar Ali's film? "As different as Muzaffar Ali and J P Dutta are as filmmakers. Priyanka as Umrao Jaan will be a completely different experience from Rekha," he adds.