by Subhash K Jha

"Dates," bemoans the self-confessed Aishwarya Rai admirer Raj Kumar Santoshi. "They're the culprits. Otherwise Aishwarya would've very much been a part of my next film Saamna which I start shooting in January," sighs Santoshi.

With Ash's choc-a-block dates taking her from Sanjay Gadhvi's Dhoom 2 to J.P. Dutta's Umrao Jaan (which she's just gone to Rajasthan to shoot) there seems little likelihood of her being free to do Santoshi's hard-hitting political drama which stars Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar and Nana Patekar.

"I'll have to regretfully start looking for another leading lady in Saamna. It will have to be someone of Aishwarya's stature. And that's not easy to find."

But Raj Santoshi is sure to work with his favourite actress very shortly. "Aishwarya has a carte-blanche. She can tell me to start a film any time. I'll feature her in anything she wants."

Hasn't he decided to drop her from his presitigious historical Prithviraj-Sanjuka?

"Not true at all! Aishwarya is very much on for that project. The only thing is, would she want do one more costume drama after Umrao Jaan , Jodha-Akbar and Jhansi Ki Rani? It's entirely up to her. But why are we talking about Prithviraj-Sanjukta now? I don't intend to go into that project until 2008. I'd be delighted to have her in all my films."

The director is shocked as he has been quoted as saying she's too old for the swayamvar sequence in Prithviraj-Sanjukta.

"Chee chee! I'd be the last person to talk like that. She's not only a dear friend, but also one of the most beautiful and finest actresses we have. There's nothing that she can't do. As of now Aishwarya is my Sanjukta"