Yukta-Madhavan in Hindi remake

Rajitha

Kannathil Muththam Thaa.

Gimme a kiss on my cheek. Or *kotc*, if you prefer the new language as found on the net and increasingly, on SMS-enabled mobiles.

That, in any case, is Mani Ratnam's next film -- and it will yet again star R Madhavan.

There was a time when Arvind Swamy was Mani's favourite actor -- the mantle seemingly has now passed to Madhavan. Who, you will recall, made his Tamil bow in Mani Ratnam's previous film, Alai Payuthey, opposite Shalini.

By way of aside, when referring to Shalini, one wonders whether in films, as in the military, it would be appropriate to put Retd. next to the name of a no-longer-active star.

While work on the story and screenplay (Mani's own) are almost complete, the cast and crew are still into the last stages of finalisation. Thus, we hear that, in all probability, Soundarya will be the female lead. And Abbas will probably find a role in it as well.

Like the Mani-Madhavan pair, the Abbas-Madhavan pair is also proving to be quite durable. The two starred in Shanti Shanti Shanti, the Kannada film wherein Madhavan made his screen bow.

They also head the cast of Minnalae, a more recent Tamil release that rapidly climbed to superhit status.

And while on Minnalae, the film is being remade in Hindi. Madhavan will remain the leading man. The role of Abbas is being recast, and in all probability Saif Ali Khan will sign on.

And the leading lady? A certain Yukta Mookhey.

To get back to the Mani Ratnam film -- or on second thoughts, don't lets go there.

In typical Mani Ratnam style, all we know is we know very little -- Mani being one filmmaker who will not talk of projects in the pipeline until it is competely canned.

So... watch this space, as the cliche goes.