Sentimental journey

Subhash K Jha

Producer-director Ramgopal Varma, the man who made Manoj Bajpai a household name as the street-smart gangster Bhiku Mhatre in his Satya has teamed up with the actor, yet again.

After the three-film partnership -- Satya, Kaun and Shool, Varma and Bajpai parted ways last year when the actor refused director E Niwas' Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega.

The duo has patched things up, much to the chagrin of the Bombay film industry.

Varma Corporation will produce Road, to be directed by Rajat Mukherjee, who also directed Varma's Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya.

The film will go on the floors for a start-to-finish schedule and will star Bajpai with Varma's new find Vivek Oberoi, who plays the lead in his other project Company.

Vivek is the son of character actor Suresh Oberoi.

Glamour photographer Jagdish Mali's daughter Antara Mali, who earlier starred with Bajpai in Varma's Telugu film Prem Gatha has also been signed on.

Varma told IANS: "Manoj is definitely doing my film, which Rajat Mukherjee will direct. It's going to be a lavishly mounted road film with lots of action sequences done on an international scale."

Though Varma won't admit it, Road will in all probability have stunt co-ordinators from abroad, like Suresh Krissna's Kamal Haasan starrer Abhay, Vikram Bhatt's Awaara Paagal Deewana and Rakesh Roshan's next venture Koi Mil Gaya.

Speaking of his rapprochement with Manoj Bajpai, Varma said, "It was Rajat's idea to sign Manoj for Road. He said Manoj was best suited for the role. I never said anything about not working with Manoj again. In this industry there's nothing like never again."

Bajpai is jubilant. "Working with Varma is like coming home again. We would speak to each other regularly, even when the industry said we were no longer friends. At the Diwali celebrations at the Bachchans' last year, we spent at least a couple of hours together."

Bajpai has already begun his preparations for the look and the mannerisms of his character. "It's going to be the kind of film I believe in. Path-breaking, but still very much part of the mainstream cinema," he said.

Indo-Asian News Service