by Subhash K Jha

The Bhatt family's pre occupation with making films based on real life incidences is a well known fact. While Mahesh Bhatt made the autobiographical Arth and Zakhm in the past, Vikram Bhatt follows with a film based on the recent rape of the South African model.

"It's unbelievable – the level our moral values have stooped to. On one level we can understand the two men raping her under the influence of alcohol. But what really disturbed me was that they continued to rape her the next morning and the day after that too.

"And finally when they let her go it was because they couldn't find a room to continue their activities. What has happened to our conscience?" says Vikram.

Disturbed by the gruesome incident, Vikram's next will portray the life of this young ambitious woman's rape.

"I want to question the issue of how women who dress up and conduct themselves in a particular fashion make themselves vulnerable to rape. It's a very hard-hitting script and a major step I've decided to take in direction.

"Recently I did make films which didn't do well. In hindsight, I'm grateful for that. If they had done well I might have continued to make films I don't believe in. My last years failures prompted me to make Ankahee for Pritish Nandy. Like Ankahee, my next film on rape will deal with a real and disturbing issue."

Vikram is now on the look-out to cast an actress who will be willing to bare her innermost fears and insecurities as a career woman on screen. He is also keen on casting Nana Patekar as a lawyer.

The film to be made in May 2006 will be produced by Ramesh Sippy. "Rameshji and I've been meaning to work together for a while. We were supposed to work together on a project with Amitji. But now with Amitji unwell it was Rameshji who suggested a film modelled on the unfortunate incident with the South African model."

Before tackling this hard-hitting subject, Vikram will do a start-to-finish project through March and April chronicling the divergent lives of five friends who define happiness in different ways.

"But finally they realise happiness is nothing besides trying to keep unhappiness away. Again, this is a subject very close to my heart and the kind of uncompromising cinema that I want to do," he says.

This project requires three lead actors and Vikram is looking at Kunal Kapoor and Tusshar Kapoor for the same. "It's a small film in terms of budget. But hopefully big in terms f the emotional canvas it covers," he says.