Filmmaker J.P. Dutta has signed music director Anu Malik to score the music for his much-talked-about projects "Maharani Gayatri Devi" and "Umrao Jaan".

"I've shared a great rapport with Dutta since the days of 'Border'. Just as I respect him for his kind of films, he has faith in my music. Both the films I am giving music to are stylised period films," Malik says.

Among the other films Anu is lending his music-making talents to are Farah Khan's "Happy New Year" and Sajid Nadiadwalla's Salman-starrer "Jaan-e-Man". With the latter, he has managed to break the Himesh Reshammiya hold on Salman starrers. Himesh is known to be a hot favorite with Salman.