By Hindustan Times

Mumbai, May 28 -- Buzz is that Ekta Kapoor, popular for her mass-oriented cinema and daily soaps on TV, has signed on Vishal Bhardwaj, Sudhir Mishra, Rohit Shetty and Neeraj Pandey for at least one film each, under her banner, Alt Entertainment. According to industry sources, the czarina of television has major plans for her big screen ventures.

Big plans

Apparently, talks with Shetty started even before the first Golmaal released. But things have materialised only recently. It's believed that brother Tusshar Kapoor, who's playing the mute character, Lucky, in the Golmaal series, will play one of the leads in Shetty's comedy for Kapoor's production house.

Also in the pipeline is a movie, tentatively titled Driver, to be helmed by Sudhir Mishra. Sources reveal that while the lead actor is yet to be finalised, Chitarangada Singh has been confirmed as the leading lady.

But the biggest coup seems to be a joint venture with Bhardwaj. According to insiders, the director will be given a free hand in terms of casting and treatment, after Kapoor approves the subject. "It will be a typical Vishal Bhardwaj movie," says our source.

When asked, Kapoor, without admitting or denying the news, says that her company is in talks with various directors, but nothing has been finalised yet. "These dealings take a while to be formalised. Once we are ready to announce any association with any or all of them, we'll let everyone know," she adds.

When asked why she has suddenly shifted from producing commercial potboilers to class-oriented multiplex movies, Kapoor says that choosing the kind of films that her company produces is not her decision alone.

"I have a team of young professionals working for my company. A lot of them have an eye and ear for 'different' or niche subjects. Since everything cannot be fitted with the image of Balaji Telefilms, we produce the films under Alt Entertainment. To answer your question, as a producer, I would love to cater to everyone in my audience base, and simultaneously, multiply my audience base. So, I produce a Keshav Pandit, a Once Upon A Time In Mumbai and a Pavitra Rishta," she explains.

Reportedly, though the promos of her next big pet project, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, have already started airing on TV and in cinema halls with other films, her company hasn't settled on a date to release the film.

"We're still toying with two-three dates. We have recreated the Mumbai of the 1970's. I'm quite pleased with the art direction because the sets are beautifully designed. We have just shot two more songs for the film because the music is kickass. My distribution team is working on having as grand a release as possible for Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, so that we can do justice to everyone's hard work," Kapoor asserts.