The start date for production of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's comeback film, which is being directed by Mani Ratnam, seems to have been pushed back, according to reports.

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The movie was apparently supposed to hit the road during the summer but rumors suggest that the filming has been delayed, and will now take-off in June or July. Pre-production is also reportedly moving at a very slow pace.

Bachchan, who has been missing from the film scene since she gave birth to her daughter Aaradhya and busied up with mom duties, is gearing up to make her grand return to the Bollywood film scene. She will be starring with South Indian actors Nagarjuna and Mahesh Babu. The movie might also feature Kamal Hassan's daughter Shruthi Hassan, who recently started out as an actress in the Indian film industry.

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The film will be bilingual (Tamil-Telugu) and production is expected to begin later this year. The last film Rai worked with Ratnam on was Raavan (2010). The film also starred her husband Abhishek Bachchan.

A spokesperson for Aishwarya suggested that things were still at a very nascent stage but did confirm that the actress was definitely on board. "She has been in talks with Mani Ratnam but the details of the film are still not known. But she has given her consent. I also know that the makers are planning to start shooting sometime around September-October," the spokesperson said.

It is also being rumored that AR Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) will be working on the film score. Rahman has worked with Ratnam on films like Bombay, Roja and Raavan before.

Watch a trailer of the film here:

Tags: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Mani Ratnam