A moment from Taj Mahal, and (below) the Queen Mother and Akbar Khan

From Taj Mahal to Buckingham Palace. From the 16th century to the 20th. From Mumtaz Mahal to the Queen Mother. Even before his big-budget magnum opus Taj Mahal has hit theatres across the country, producer-director Akbar Khan has been invited by the British Red Cross Society?s Queen Mother Memorial Fund to make a film on the Queen Mother ? The Last Empress of India.

?I was in the UK two months ago and had a very private preview of my film for a very select audience including Sir Philip Bonn of the Memorial Fund. After seeing Taj Mahal, we met for lunch where he told me that he loved the film and found it like a Shakespearean play. Now, the Fund has written to me to collaborate on a film on the late Queen Mother,? Khan told Metro.

The letter reads: ?Mr Bonn enjoyed viewing your wonderful film the Taj Mahal, which he says is one of the greatest films he has ever seen... The Queen Mother Memorial Fund would be most interested in forging links with you and your company? the possibility of documenting this important film on the Queen Mother as the last Empress of India.?

The Queen Mother was, of course, mother of Queen Elizabeth II, the present British sovereign, and the widow of the late King George VI. Widowed at the age of 51, she continued to undertake royal duties for the next 50 years in support of her daughter till her death in March 2002.

Neck-deep into the pre-release promotion and marketing activities of Taj Mahal, Khan hasn?t yet decided to take up the Queen Mother project. ?My film releases on October 28, with premieres being held across Mumbai, London and New York? Once Taj Mahal is released, only then can I concentrate on another venture. So I have written back to the Fund authorities saying that we should discuss the project before taking a final call. But the offer does sound exciting with India being very much a part of the story.?

At the moment, though, Khan is enjoying the rave reviews he has been getting ever since Taj Mahal was showcased at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year in May. ?An eternal love story?, the film turns time back to the legend of Shah Jahan and his lady love Mumtaz Mahal. Billed to be the costliest film to be made in India ? the budget is said to be anything between Rs 60 to 80 crore ? the Zulfi Syed-Sonya Jehan-starrer also heralds the return of legendary music composer Naushad.