by Subhash K Jha

Katrina Kaif as a silently suffering widow? Nah! Sounds like a contradiction in terms.

Trust Ram Gopal Varma to opt for the unexpected with expected regularity.

Having cast most of the other major parts in Sholay (Basanti is still pending) Ramu has now gone and signed the lovely Katrina Kaif to play the mutely grieving widow Radha in Sholay.

Jaya Bachchan has already taken the part to heights of unspoken poignancy. You wonder what the glamorous Katrina can do to the part!

"Not so fast," cautions Ramu. "I've directed Katrina in Sarkar. I know what she's capable of. She's a classic beauty. I'm casting her as a South Indian Brahmin, Mohan Lal's daughter-in-law. I think re-locating such a glamorous girl in a de-glamorized milieu would be interesting."

Ramu says in principle the widow's part will remain unchanged in the new version of Sholay even as it goes from one hand to another.

For the actresss, playing a widow so early in her career is a gamble. Asha Parekh in Kati Patang, Padmini Kolhapure in Prem Rog and Rekha in Baseraa gave career-defining performances in spotless white.

Ram Gopal Varma Ka Sholay can revv up Katrina's career.