Sherawat who made her debut in Menon’s Khwaish

Gangtok, Aug. 18: Govind Menon, the Bollywood director who helped Mallika Sherawat shoot to fame in his Khwaish, now plans the next movie in the backdrop of Sikkim.

Menon, who started his career with Danger, spent the better part of his childhood in Gangtok. Regarding the project in Sikkim, he told The Telegraph that while the cast is yet to be decided, a leading star will definitely be there, lending Sikkim huge publicity, probably the biggest media attention so far.

While the story is still in its scripting stage with a friend working on it in Los Angeles, Menon has come here to see what the state has to offer in terms of locales and support from the state government. “I have always wanted to shoot in Sikkim, which has so much to offer as far as scenic beauty and landscapes are concerned. Moreover, hardly any place in the hill state has ever been used as the backdrop in any film,” he said, who can still talk in chaste Nepali. “It is high time Sikkim gave competition to Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir as a shooting locale.”

Born in Kerala, Menon did his schooling at Tashi Namgyal Academy here, as his IAS officer father was posted as the development commissioner of the Sikkim government. Returning after 21 years, he found the infrastructure of the place good enough. The state government’s offer of financial package is what Menon has come looking for at the moment. “These days, it is important to find out what is on offer. Then only financers are willing to put in their money for films,” the director said. “The response is positive. I will talk to more people in the government, including the chief minister.” According to him, he wanted the government to offer subsidies for the venture and help him “put Sikkim on the world map” through the medium of a commercial Bollywood film.

Menon, who assisted Priyadarshan and Santosh Sivan with movies like Terrorist, Hungama, Hera Pheri and Phir Hera Pheri, attempted to “relaunch” Rekha with his latest Bachke Rehna Re Baba.