by Subhash K Jha

If all goes well, Amitabh Bachchan will play the lead in his first interntional project in the coming year . Deepa Mehta, reveling in the astonishing success of Water in Canada(the film continues to be record-breaking grosser in its seventh week) is waiting for AB's green signal.

"The lead in my film Kamagata Maru can be played by no other actor except Mr Bachchan," she says emotionally. "The hero of my most ambitious and expensive film has to be a man of substance stature and wisdom. I can't think of anyone else but Mr Bachchan."

In the meanwhile Deepa has finalized the rest of the of her cast. Seema Biswas who's received the maximum raves in the international press for Water, and John Abraham will play key roles in Kamagata Maru.

Deepa has also penciled in Terence Stamp, the charismatic British actor from Billy Budd and Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Deserts, to play the crucial role of a lawyer. "I can see Mr Bachchan and Terence together on screen. They'll be dynamite," predicts Deepa.