Priyadarshan Garam Hawa now re-titled as Aakrosh

By Subhash K. Jha

The prolific Priyadarshan has had more than his share of title problems with his new Ajay Devgn-Akshaye Khanna-Bipasha Basu starrer. A hard-hitting film about love across caste barriers and honour killing set in Bihar, Priyan wanted to call it Ishqana. But Ishqiya came along and Priyan chose Garam Hawa.

But now that title too had to be hastily abandoned and Priyan has called his film Aakrosh. Explains the exhausted director, "We wanted to call it Garam Hawa as homage to M.S. Sathyu's classic film of that name. But then Mr. Sathyu got very upset. We received a letter from him questioning our right to use his title. We immediately abandoned Garam Hawa. In order to use Aakrosh as the title, we got the original Aakrosh's director Govind Nihalani's permission. He was very generous about it."

Of late, Priyan has been working over-time. "I need a break. I've four films this year. Aakrosh and Khatta Meetha are almost complete. Then I'm going into a film about the loves and lusts of the youth for which I want to cast newcomers along with Prateik Babbar. I'm starting this film in July. Finally, I want to make my realistic no-frills film on AIDS at the end of this year with Aamir Khan in the lead. I'll go to him only when my script is ready."

Priyan says he needs a star like Aamir to have a large receptive audience for the AIDS film. "I'm more successfully known for my comedies in the North. However, even if Aamir declines, I'll still go ahead with the AIDS film."