/> It could be the most seductive casting coup of the century. Rekha and Priyanka Chopra together. The Umrao Jaan of the 1970s and the Umrao Jaan who almost was....Remember J.P. Dutta almost signed Priyanka for the role of the neo-Umrao?

The two dusky divas may soon be coming together for a film by the ladies' specialist Kalpana Lajmi.

"I've approached Rekha and Priyanka for a film based on the life of devadasis (temple dancers/prostitutes). In principle both have said yes. I'm extremely hopeful that this would be my next project after Chingari which is complete," Kalpana, who's directed Sushmita Sen to a stunning makeover-milestone in Chingari has her fingers crossed.

Sighs the harried filmmaker, "Making a film is still not an easy job for women in this country, specially for someone like me who prefers women-oriented subjects.The male stars shy away from me as though I had the plague. And everyone knows female stars, no matter how huge, do not sell films.

"Only Hema Malini did that," laughs Kalpana who's made award-winning commercially successful films with Shabana Azmi (Ek Pal) and Dimple Kapadia (Rudaali).

"Unfortunately women-oriented films have lost their clout. A stray Chandni Bar does well. But my own film Daman with Raveena Tandon and Darmiyaan with Kiron Kher didn't get an audience. I'm hoping Chingari will spark off a new phase in my career, and Sushmita's."

Kalpana bemoans what she calls the monopoly of a few powerful production houses over the stars.

"The problem isn't restricted to female filmmakers but also to smaller filmmakers. Unfortunately I fall in both categories of underprivileged filmmakers. I've no access to the really big stars. The big guns want to work with only Yash Chopra, Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and a few others. The others have to make do with the crumbs. This isn't the best way to function in a country where hero-worship is an art form."

But Kalpana is hopeful. "If my film on devdasis with Rekha and Priyanka , and my proposed political drama Singhasan with Aishwarya Rai work out, I can see doors opening for all the female filmmakers."