But there’s more to him than this television project. The other venture he’s rather excited about is a film on the Lee Falk’s comic-book character Mandrake The Magician because “it is easier to work on something branded like comics”. While he did consider Phantom too, it appeared a more uphill task—his get-up, horse, dog, home in the cave and the entire jungle thing — so Mandrake it was. The movie (pegged at US $60-80 million) is likely to be directed by Chuck Russell (he directed Jim Carrey in The Mask) and co-produced by Hollywood studio MGM. The actors, said Amritraj, have not yet been finalised.

As for Gateway, the reality show co-produced by Amritraj along with Subhash Ghai, will allow one filmmaker from India — the chosen one—to direct a Hollywood film for Amritraj’s banner. Entries have already been whittled from 2,000 to 18 and Amritraj, along with directors Anurag Basu and Sriram Raghavan, is further pruning the list. So there is Amritraj playing God, in a manner quite similar to Donald Trump in The Apprentice. He is less dramatic and no, he doesn’t say “you are fired”.

The winner will direct a movie with a budget of about Rs 2 crore, though the subject will be decided after the selection procedure is complete.

Meanwhile, there are other film projects too. The Other End Of The Line is in the post-production stage (it will screened at Cannes) and The Dark Country —a 3D film with Sony and Street Fighter, based on the popular video game, too are creating news. Southern actor Shriya Saran, who came into her own after Sivaji—The Boss opposite Rajnikant, has bagged the lead role opposite the dishy Jesse Metcalfe (of Desperate Housewives fame). It was her freshness and youth that won her the role as opposed to established stars from Hindi cinema.

“Shriya was all new and bright-eyed and had the perfect chemistry with Jesse,” says Amritraj who is confident that the film will get her noticed in international circles.