By Subhash K. Jha
Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) Lara Dutta, Bipasha Basu, Sushmita Sen…. These are the names that would be offered the lead roles in the sequel to “Prince” which is all set to hit the floors early next year.

Kookie Gulati, the young director of “Prince”, is in a daze, not being able to believe the kind of rave reviews his film has received. And before he could even begin to let the whole idea of a potential hit sink in, he’s all set to make a sequel to the movie.

Confirming this, Gulati says, “We had left the ending open, suggesting there might be more to the plot than what we had just seen. But there was just a hint of a fear. What if ‘Prince’ fell flat on its face? What would people say about even suggesting a sequel?”

Luckily, the response to the film has been overwhelming.

“I have an idea for the sequel which I’ll now develop. Since it’s the plot that has worked in ‘Prince’, we’ve to make sure the sequel is even stronger in terms of content. I’m much better prepared for the sequel. I’m more confident now.”

While Vivek Oberoi will of course play the title role in the sequel, the rest of the cast, especially the leading ladies, will all change.

Says a source close to the project, “When we approached top actresses they all either said a straight no or begged off with a date excuse. They had no faith in the project. More importantly, none of them wanted to work with Vivek. On the day ‘Prince’ opened, Vivek began to receive congratulatory smses from some of the actresses who had declined to work with him in ‘Prince’.”

Vivek laughs it off.

“I wouldn’t like to dwell on the past. All is good now. And I’d just like to concentrate on the positive things. Yes, we are making a sequel.”

Adds Gulati: “It’s been a three-year uphill climb for me and Vivek. I was making music videos for the Tauranis’ Tips. It took me a great deal of effort to convince them that I could pull off a film. During the last three years, I have had no time for anything else. My three-year-old son thinks I’m a stranger in the house.”

Producer Kumar Taurani also confirms plans for the sequel.