Press Trust of India Posted online: Sunday, November 27, 2005 at 2109 hours IST
Panaji, November 27: Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai will soon be rubbing shoulders with Asterix, the Gaulish warrior, and his pal Obelix, the Menhir delivery man.
Aishwarya has reportedly agreed to be part of Asterix and Obelix at the Olympic Games, the third film based on the famous French comic book series by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.
However, it is not yet known which character will be portrayed by the former Miss World or whether she would be gulping down druidic magic potions like her Gaulish counterparts.
Slated for release sometime in 2008, to coincide with the Olympics in Beijing, the film is also expected to star international action hero Jean Claude Van Damme.
Although French superstar Gerard Depardieu will reprise his role as Obelix, reports said Christian Clavier would not be returning as Asterix in the third instalment of the French series.
Meanwhile, the International Film Festival of India is getting ready for its own tryst with the fictional heroes.
The French version of Alain Chabat’s Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002), also starring Italian actress Monica Bellucci, will be screened in the IFFI ‘Cinema of the World’ section on Friday, whereas a dubbed Hindi version would be premiered at the Miramar beach the following day.
Director Chabat and supermodel Noemie Lenoir would be in Goa for the French blockbuster’s desi premier.
