After his epic romance Taj Mahal , filmmaker Akbar Khan now plans to make a film called Taxi Driver and says it will send out a strong message on terrorism. "It's the story of a single mother with a 10-year old kid. It will send out a great message against terrorism. It's a subject that's been close to my heart," Khan told us. Akbar Khan, who gave Smita Patil a seductively psychotic role in Haadsa (1983), has been scouting for an actress to play the protagonist. But he is having trouble getting the top leading ladies to do the film.
Lara Dutta was a top contender for the part, but she is already playing a mother to a growing son in Priyadarshan's Billoo Barber on Shah Rukh Khan's special request. Other screen queens are disinclined to play mom. At the same time, Akbar is determined to revive interest in his last project Taj Mahal . The film was released in 2005, but sank without a trace.
"God has his own ways of deciding who and what to bless at what time. Starting with the Dubai International Film Festival last year a great momentum has been created for my film. I've now made a director's international cut. I've pruned the songs and cut the length by 25 minutes to suit European and American sensibility.