by Subhash K Jha

Abhishek Bachchan, Rimii Sen, Bipasha Basu and Uday Choprarecently started shooting for the much-talked about sequel to Dhoom.

According to producer Yash Chopra, the film is going to be much bigger, much more lavish and dazzling and many sizer larger than life as compared with the earlier Dhoom which gave a new flair and fillip to at least three careers: Abhishek Bachchan, Esha Deol and John Abraham.

Though John has been eliminated from the sequel, Abhishek and Esha are very much around. The film's arch-villain Hrithik Roshan and seductive moll Aishwarya Rai join the cast later.

They both intend to enjoy the process of turning negative (this is as close as Ash gets to doing Black, pun intended) to the hilt. Both the actors , in consultation with producer Aditya Chopra and director Sanjay Gadhvi haveworked out their characters' looks in detail.

"All I can tell you is, it would be nothing like anything you've seen me do before," promises Aishwarya. The one thing that Aishwarya has zeroed in on is her svelte and sensuous appearance to go with her 'Catwoman'-likevillainy.

Apparently Ms Rai's contract stipulatesthat she slip into a bikini in Dhoom 2. Producer Yash Chopra laughs off the rumour.

"I don't think our contract can specify such things. But yes, the role does require Aishwarya to convey oodles of sensuality. She has asked for a couple of months to get into shape.

"We (at Yashraj Films) are very clear about every character in every script and what's required of the actors. Before Dhoom Esha Deol was specifically briefed about the look and the attitude that she needed to cultivate. Esha readily agreed. And look at what Dhoom did to her career!"

So it is makeover time for Aishwarya Rai? And will Dhoom 2 revamp her image? "Not really required," says Dr Murli Manohar , producer of Aishwarya's hard-hitting real-life drama Provoked. "Aishwarya is already doing such a wide variety of roles. She doesn't need a makeover."

Adds J.P. Dutta, "I feel she has a truly international stature and can go to any level if guided correctly. The very fact that I want her to play both Umrao Jaan and Gayatri Devi proves how much faith I've in her range."