Forced into film production by the dipping fortunes of the music industry, Saregama India Ltd is now all set to roll out a wide variety of ventures, including Bengali ones.

In the city to promote Tumsa Nahin Dekha ? Saregama?s first foray into films ? Harish Dayani, CEO of the company?s films division, told Metro that he had roped in ?hit commercial film-maker? Haranath Chakraborty to direct Saregama?s first Bengali film.

The ?fairy tale? will star Prosenjit in the lead with Tumsa Nahin Dekha heroine Dia Mirza being considered for the female lead.

?Saregama has always been a music company with a national presence. So, we do not want to become a Hindi film-making company, but rather an Indian film-making outfit. We?ll produce at least two to three Bengali films every year. Not just Bengali, we are planning to get into Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, even crossover films, apart from the regular Bollywood ventures,? said Dayani.

Apart from the Haranath Chakraborty project in January 2005, as many as five other Hindi film ventures have been undertaken by Saregama. The films will be directed by E. Niwas, Pankaj Parashar, Apoorva Lakhia and Kundan Shah, besides another from the house of Bhatt, which is also behind Tumsa Nahin Dekha.

?It is a new dawn in film-making and we are extremely happy to be with Saregama in this noble effort,? said Mahesh Bhatt.

RPG vice-chairman Sanjiv Goenka said: ?We are happy that our first film is being handled by Mahesh Bhatt and his team. If there?s one production house which assures return in equity, it is the Bhatts?.?

Dayani admitted that even in their films, Saregama?s stress would be on the music. ?In the next couple of years, we?ll be trying to project an image of ours as a company making dreamy fairy tale films with very good music. In the process we will be providing very good software to our music division.?

To begin with, the Bengali film, whose script is being developed, will see ?film music being promoted in such a big way for the first time?, promised Dayani.

Adding to the mood of a buoyant Bengal was the maverick. ?Even I am seriously considering producing a Bengali film with Anurag Basu directing it. I think it?s a very commercially-viable proposition,? signed off Mahesh Bhatt.