Tabu to star opposite Ananth Nag?

Rumour has it that Bollywood actress Tabu will soon act in a Kannada film. The elusive actress has been approached to play the lead in Family... Paravashave Jeevana. The script of the film has been emailed to her by Prakashraj Mehu, who will soon be meeting her for a reading.

If Tabu agrees to be in the film, she will be cast opposite veteran Kannada actor Ananth Nag. The film is a 'mature' love story with comic overtones so Nag's comic timing is sure to come in handy.

Nag was approached by Mehu during the shooting of Paramathma. "I discussed the project with him while he was shooting for Paramathma. I was working as an assistant to Yograj Bhat then. Nag had evinced interest and I will soon give him a reading," says Mehu.

Family... is the love story of an older man and a middle aged woman. Isn't that along the lines of the Hindi film Cheeni Kum that starred Tabu and Amitabh Bachchan?

"There too love blossoms between a middle aged woman and an older man, but that's where the similarity ends," Mehu says. And nor does his film resemble Kavitha Lankesh's Preethi Prema Pranaya, he adds.

On his recent visit to Bengaluru, Tamil actor Sarath Kumar watched Sarathi with his fans. The actor plays the role of hero Darshan's father in the film. The second half of the film revolves around him.

Sarath recalled his association with Bengaluru where he had worked as a reporter and circulation manager for a newspaper. It was only much later that he entered films. He also recalled that he used to cycle across the city to deliver newspapers.

He has fond memories of shooting Sarathi, and thanked Darshan and director Tugudeep Dinakar for their cooperation.

The film meanwhile has reached the 50-day mark and is running to full houses across the state. More than 120 theatres are screening the film.

Sarathi is about an auto driver with a mysterious past. The film was well received by Darshan's fans, who were not in the least put off by his stint in jail on the charge of assaulting his wife. Deepa Sanidhi is the heroine of the film.

Telugu film Lakshyam is being remade in Kannada as Varadanayaka with Chiranjeevi Sarja and Nikisha as the lead pair. The film is directed by Ayappa.

Sudeep will also be an important part of the cast. "I have been cast yet again as a cop. But what appealed to me about this role was that it has an emotional angle. I play Chiru's brother and the relationship that the two characters share touched me," he says. Sudeep will start shooting for the film in December after completing the Telugu film Ega.

 "I am very happy with the way the role has shaped up. There is a lot of scope for action as well," says Chiru.

Nikisha says she plays a character that is very close to the real her. "I play a very cheerful girl," she says.