Aamir to star opposite Kate Winslet?

After conquering Bollywood through performances as diverse as a colonised villager (Lagaan), a dyslexic teacher (Taare Zameen Par) and a man with short-term memory loss (Ghajini), Aamir Khan is reportedly ready to play a madman.

But that's not all. Rumour from the Cannes Film Festival is that director Pan Nalin is prepared to cast Aamir opposite recent Oscar winner Kate Winslet, for a film based on the short story Toba Tek Singh by Saadat Hasan Manto, which takes a look inside a Lahore mental asylum in 1947, using the situation to examine the Indo-Pak relationship around the time of Partition.

Pan Nalin has reportedly said that either Kate Winslet or Rachel Weisz could give justice to the role of Dr Sophie; he plans to meet both the actresses after the Cannes festival to finalise the casting.

Winslet, like Khan, is known for playing a diverse range of roles -- and is considered by many to be the finest English-speaking actress of her generation. Some of her noted performances include Titanic, Sense and Sensibility, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Little Children, Revolutionary Road and The Reader.

Reports say that Aamir is impressed with the script and has expressed a desire to play the male lead Bishan Singh. If he signs the dotted line, then you will see him playing the role of a lunatic in a mental asylum.

Another name mentioned for the male lead role is Saif Ali Khan.

Kate's Photograph: Mike Blake/ Reuters
Aamir's Photograph: Manav Manglani/ Reuters