Rajshree Ojha’s been making the svelte Sonam Kapoor slurp sweet chuskis.Why? Rajshree is the director of the Sonam-starrer Aisha, which is being co-produced by Sonam’s sister, Rhea. Aisha is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, and Rajshree’s first brush with mainstream Bollywood cinema. She’s set her movie in Delhi, and she was in the city for a few weeks shooting with Sonam and Abhay Deol, who plays Mr Knightley. And, as DT showed you, Sonam and Abhay shot a picturesque sequence in CP’s Central Park that had them slurping chuskis together.

Rajshree chose Delhi for the movie because, she says, “the city is a good combination of old world charm and newness. People here haven’t forgotten their traditions, and the city is very much like Emma’s England in that respect. Delhi’s also famous for its glamour and fashion, and the city is also popular for being full of b***** people! The city has many moods.”

The director learnt filmmaking at New York University and the American Film Institute. She says, “Abroad, Indian cinema is still all about Satyajit Ray. Bollywood cinema has a market, but it’s very niche. It’s thought to be a fun genre. Ray is a legend there. I realised that as a filmmaker, I had to walk the middle path and bring the best of both worlds into my films. Western audiences have still not seen the best of Indian cinema.” Her first movie, a short film called Moment, won the SVA Student Academy Award in New York in 1999. Badger, another short film, won the AFI Spirit of Excellence Award for Outstanding Direction.

Rajshree has roped in a few Delhi artistes like MK Raina and Vidushi Mehra (designer Nikhil Mehra’s wife) for Aisha, because, she says, “These actors brought to the movie the flavour of Delhi.” Talking about Vidushi’s acting skills, she says, “I was very comfortable working with her as she knew how things have to be done.” On why she chose Sonam for the lead, she says, “The character of Emma has a certain charm, which Sonam reflects. She has the most amazing smile, and I fell for her face. However, Austen’s Emma can also be nasty and get away with it easily. She’s a grey character and whatever she does is the devil’s work, but she ends up coming across as an angel. Sonam’s perfect for it.”

The movie has generated quite a buzz already. Sonam Kapoor said that women outnumber men in the project’s crew. “Right from the director – me! – to screenplay writer Devika Bhagat, dialogue writers Ritu Bhatia and Devika, production designer Shruti Gupte, costume designer Pernia Qureshi, producer Rhea Kapoor and, of course, the lead actress, Sonam, this movie has many women working on it. Of course, there are a few talented men on the project too!” she laughs.

Rajshree would like to be thought of as part of the change in Indian cinema. Is that the reason she chose Abhay to play the male lead in the movie? She replies, “He is a very interesting actor. He is not the quintessential hero. He also reflects the change in Indian cinema. My movie is woman-oriented. Abhay adds to the flavour and content of the movie.” Talking about the breed of ‘new’ directors like Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee, the filmmaker says, “This breed of young directors is coming up with good films. They are trying to do something different and know the art of reaching out to the audiences. Audiences have also matured and react well to such movies.”