Salman to play Dhoni?

Mahesh Manjrekar's plan to remake his Marathi film Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho in Hindi with Salman Khan is now getting an unexpected push.

Khan, who has been putting off the Hindi version of Manjrekar's film for some time, has now suddenly decided to give the film immediate time. According to sources, this is because Prakash Raj's soon-to-be-released Tamil film Dhoni, is based on Manjrekar's film.

When contacted, Manjrekar admitted to the news, adding in jest. "The current trend is that of Southern remakes in Hindi. So before someone in Bollywood buys the rights of Prakash's Dhoni, which is a remake of my Marathi film, I will make the film with Salman, as planned."

Raj's film is about the academic pressure faced by a teenage boy interested in cricket. Manjrekar says he gladly gave the rights for a Tamil remake of his film.

He said, "Prakash Raj is a friend. When he told me he wants to direct a Tamil version of my film, I readily agreed. The film has a strong message about our education system and I am only too happy to spread it."