Ketan Mehta and Deepa Sahi are looking at newer avenues

Ketan Mehta's long-completed project Rang Rasiya starring Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen based on the 19th century painter Raja Ravi Varma is yet to see light of day. While wife Deepa Sahi's directorial debut Tere Mere Phere with Vinay Pathak and Riya Sen sank without a trace last year. Undeterred by the ups and downs of B-Town, the filmmaker couple has begun work on their next projects.

Ketan is making a film based on the unsung hero Dashrath Manjhi, who single-handedly worked day and night for 22 years and broke a mountain in Bihar. While actress-turned-director Deepa is working on an Indo-Canadian venture. Both are presently busy with the pre-productions of their respective ventures.

Ketan who signed Nawazuddin Siddiqui for his film recently says, "Dashrath Manjhi or the mountain man as he is referred to is the real Mr India. His never-say-die spirit achieved the impossible against all odds. He managed the feat of constructing a 360-feet long, 30 feet high and 25 feet wide passage through hills in Bihar reducing the distance between Atri and Wazirganj in the Gaya district from 75 km to just one km."

The script has been penned by Ketan along with Anjum Rajabali and Mahendra Jhakar. "Apart from Nawaz, the rest of the cast will be ascertained soon and the film will go on floors by the year-end," informs Ketan who earlier made films like Mirch Masala, Maya Memsaab and The Rising - The Ballad of Mangal Pandey.

About his wife's film he says, "The Indo-Canadian venture will be shot in Toronto. She is presently working on the script. Her last film was a romcom but this will have action and will roll later in the year. The casting of the film will be done soon."