Isha steps into Diya, Sushmita's shoes

Vickey Lalwani

When he was toying with the idea of remaking Basic Instinct into Inteqam, director Pankuj Parasher had decided on Sushmita Sen for Sharon Stone's role. Sen opted out.

Parasher then approached Diya Mirza (who worked in Parasher's Tumko Na Bhool Payenge) who jumped at the offer and said she wouldn't charge him a penny. "It's the role of a lifetime," she exclaimed.

Diya changed her mind later and decided to charge her market price, which is said to have prompted a hurt Parasher to tell her he had decided to take someone else.

Now, Isha Koppikar has stepped into Diya's shoes. The other female lead in the film is Nethra Raghuraman. Manoj Bajpai plays the man sandwiched between the two.

Shamita turns bad girl!

Sharara girl Shamita Shetty is flying high. She has signed Boney Kapoor's film Bewafa, starring Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Manoj Bajpai and Kareena Kapoor. To be directed by Dharmesh Darshan, it is a remake of B R Chopra's Gumraah.

She is also experimenting with a role which has negative shades in it. Earlier, Bipasha Basu was offered the role but she turned it down.

Tulip doesn't mind exposure

Tulip Joshi aka Sanjana who made her debut in Yash Raj Films' Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai has now signed Manish Jha's Matrabhumi -- Land Without Mother.

Jha won a Grand Jury award for his short film A Very Very Silent Film at Cannes. The film dealt with a homeless woman who dies on the streets and how her acquaintances bid her farewell. Matrabhumi -- Land Wthout Mother too is a woman-oriented story.

Jha also approached Tejaswini Kolhapure who still awaits her first release Paanch. Kolhapure was initially tempted, but developed cold feet after hearing the film involves a fair bit of exposure.

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