Ben Kingsley and Aishwarya Rai in 'Taj'

It was reported today that contrary to the rumours, Aishwarya Rai will be paired opposite Ben Kingsley and not her husband Abhishek Bachchan in the Hollywood film 'Taj Mahal'. Kingsley's wife Daniela Barbosa de Carneiro would play Shah Jahan first wife.

'Taj Mahal' will be financed by Kingsley's production company SBK Pictures, and the flick is to be shot in Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. The Taj Mahal will be used for shoots as well. Confirming the news, Kingsley said "It’s a project on the building of the Taj Mahal. Aishwarya and I spoke about it while we were shooting `The Last Legion` last year. She very generously agreed to do the project with me. I and Aishwarya will be playing Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. My production company is right now working with a screenwriter. I`ve clear ideas about my approach to this subject. The romance will also include Shah Jahan`s abject isolation for years in a prison cell."

Recently Kingsley was the star guest of the International Film Festival of India, he walked out of the function because he had a tiff with the Entertainment Society of Goa. Reportedly, Kingsley was made to sit on a chair which sported the name of some other guest. The actor walked out and his wife followed.

Kingsley won the academy award for best actor for the film 'Gandhi' back in 1982. Since then Kingsley has appeared in mostly independent and offbeat films, save for Schindler's List and Sexy Beast. Also, Kinglsey will be seen opposite Amitabh Bachchan in the upcoming 'Teen Patti' which releases later this year. Kingsley will be attending the premiere of Amitabh Bachchan starrer 'Paa' on December 3 in Mumbai. Incidentally, Aishwarya Rai had earlier worked with Kingsley in the Hollywood flop 'The Last Legion'.