By Subhash K Jha

Mumbai, April 20 (IANS) After teaming up with Viacom 18 for moolah milking movie "Tanu Weds Manu", director Aanand Rai has now stuck a deal with Eros Entertainment for his next directorial venture which will again have the flavour of North India.

Speaking on his surprising crossover from Viacom 18 to Eros, Rai said: "Shall we just say, Eros seemed more interested in my next project."

Rai says his new project would require a lot more resources.

"Though let me quickly add I am not going abroad to shoot in the casinos of Vegas and the gondolas of Venice. My next film will again be located in the North Indian heartland. It will again be relatable to characters whom we all know in the North. But this time there will be dark undertones," he said.

Ironically, Rai's next will have big stars. Hope they are willing to take secondary billing to the script.

While Rai chooses to remain discreet about the break with the company that in many ways gave the director's career a new lease of life, Viacom, which seem to have completely taken up with the production of Amitabh Bachchan starrer "Bbuddah", maintains that the director is working on a future project for them.

Meanwhile Ram Mirchandani, creative head of Eros, revealed that the company had wanted to hop on board as a producer for "Tanu Weds Manu".

"I could feel Aanand Rai was doing something different and exciting in 'Tanu Weds Manu'. I wanted to fly down to Lucknow where he was shooting and offer Eros as a producer. But it never worked out. We're so glad Aanand Rai is doing his next film for us. It's going to be even more path-breaking than 'Tanu Weds Manu'. Aanand Rai has shown the box office who the hero is. It's the script that gets top billing in the audiences' perception," said Mirchandani.