Richard Gere has reportedly been approached to star in a Bollywood film. Nila Madhab Panda, who made his directorial debut with the award-winning I Am Kalam, has said that he has spoken with the actor for his next film. Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford has also apparently been considered for the role.

Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Panda said: "We're talking to a lot of people. Nothing is confirmed yet, but this film will be much bigger [than Panda's previous films]."

The as-yet untitled movie is about the issue of world food security. It will also star I Am Kalam child actor Harsh Mayar. "Sometimes, a few things come out in the media that send a completely different signal to the actors. So I shouldn't talk much about it," Panda went on.

"As for Mr Gere, we are still having general communication with him. It's not like we've signed the contract, but we're in touch with his team members." Gere has been approached to play the sutradhar (narrator) in the film, with the character being a foreigner who comes to India and gets involved with the socio-political setup of a village.

Gere was previously contacted to star alongside Amitabh Bachchan in Teen Patti and was at the centre of controversy in 2007 when he kissed Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.

(Digitalspy)