Sanjay Leela Bhansali to stage Paris Opera

Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, director of the Bollywood mega-hit "Devdas", is to stage an opera in Paris next year, the Theatre du Chatelet said on Wednesday.

From March 14 to 24 next year, Bhansali will present six performances of "Padmavati", a rarely-performed opera-ballet written in 1923 by French composer Albert Roussel and inspired by Indian legend.

Leading a mainly-French cast, Marie-Nicole Lemieux from the French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec will play the title role of a woman who falls prey to a vile bargain, in a lyrical tale set in 13th-century India.

Bhansali's 2002 movie "Devdas" a tragic musical tale of two childhood sweethearts whose love is thwarted by their families was the most expensive Hindi film ever made, reaping international success and a host of awards.

The Theatre du Chatelet- Paris' second largest opera house- will also host an adaptation of David Cronenberg's science-fiction hit "The Fly" brought to the stage by the director in partnership with Spain's tenor Placido Domingo.

Update: Passion For Cinema has the pictures!