If you thought Mangal Pandey's failure could derail Ketan Mehta's plan to direct series of historical then you're completely mistaken. The versatile director is all set to roll his new project - the life and times of Rani Laxmibai.

And playing the role of Rani Jhansi is none other than Queen bee - Aishwarya Rai.

"I had approached Ash way back in January this year, much before Mangal Pandey hit the screens. She has already gone through the script and agreed in principle to act in the film. The only thing that needs to be sorted out is her shooting dates," reveals Mehta.

The pre-production work is complete and the rest of the cast is being finalised.

Now that's what we call The Rising in real life.