Agencies 

  Ace director Sanjay Leela Bhansali will direct an opera in Paris next year, according to a newspaper report on Friday.

The Theatre du Chatelet has signed Bhansali for the project, based on a 1920's French literary work, the report said.

The report did not name the opera, the novel or its author, and didn't mention which language the opera will be performed in.

“It's an honour,” said Bhansali, whose recent Bollywood hits include Black and Devdaas .

“I think my operatic mode of storytelling in 'Devdaas' convinced the Theatre du Chatelet to approach me,” the report quoted him as saying.

“Frankly, I was flattered but unsure whether I wanted to do it. After all, a staged opera is an entirely different discipline from cinema,” he said, but added that he has always been fascinated by the art.

“The experience would rejuvenate me as a creative artiste, help me connect with creative spaces more openly.”

Bhansali will be directing the opera in Paris from January to March next year, the report said.

“I'm already very nervous. It's a very lavish production, involving a huge cast and production values,” the report quoted him as saying.