Farhan Akhtar signs Saif Ali Khan for new movie

By Subhash K. Jha, Mumbai, March 16 :

After the super-hit "Dil Chahta Hai", director Farhan Akhtar is set to work with Saif Ali Khan again in a new age film about the modern communication system.


"Voice From The Sky" has been a project close to Farhan Akhtar's heart for a very long time.

It is a movie set in the period when the telephone had become a new means of communication. "I began scripting 'Voice From The Sky' right after 'Dil Chahta Hai'. It has been with me since 2002-2003," he said.

Irrfan Khan was supposed to play the lead. "I thought of Irrfan for the lead. But then Saif seemed a more natural choice. He's apt for the character. After 'Dil Chahta Hai', we wanted to work together. We did come close to working together in my sister Zoya's film. Finally, 'Voice From The Sky' turned out to be the right movie," Farhan said.

As usual, Saif took his time to decide. "I first spoke to Saif about this movie a year ago. At that point of time, he wasn't clear about whether he'd be able to do it. Then one day, out of the blue, he called me and said he can't stop thinking about the script. After that we made an effort to accommodate each other. The project will take off at the end of the year."

Farhan refuses to take credit for Saif's stardom after 'Dil Chahta Hai'. "It proved to be a turning point for all of us. That film was part of our journey. But, yes, it was a milestone for Saif, and for me," Farhan said.

Farhan is also upbeat about working with Priyanka Chopra. "She is hassle-free and, according to me, still has lots of untapped potential. Her role in 'Voice From The Sky' is very different from whatever she has done so far. It's primarily the story of a little boy. Priyanka and Saif are the two people who come into his life. I'm really looking forward to working with Priyanka and Saif after 'Don' and 'Dil Chahta Hai'."

Farhan needs to find his child protagonists very soon. "Now that I've Saif and Priyanka in place, I can start looking for the boy. It would've been terrible to find him and then not be able to make the film," he said.

Farhan admits that Saif and Priyanka make a viable pair. "Of course, they make a difference. We certainly get more eyeballs."

"Voice From The Sky" will be made in both English and Hindi. "It won't be in Hinglish. There are certain people who will speak only English. Others will speak Hindi," the director said.

"Voice From The Sky" will have no songs.

stupid one! replaced irfan with saif for commercial buzz sake!

Yeah, I was sad to see Irfan go but at least Saif and Farhan are reuniting after the modern-day classic, DCH.