MUMBAI: Director-producer Shirish Kunder, who recently announced his Akshay Kumar starrer Joker, has now announced his next directorial venture called Prince of India.

Kunder is currently busy with Joker‘s casting and pre-production.

Speaking to Businessofcinema.com, Kunder says, “Prince of India is an epic action drama. It is a fiction film and will belong to the genre of the Hollywood film, 300. I have locked the story and screenplay of the film, but will commence its casting only after work on Joker is through.”

So now, while Joker will be a futuristic film, Prince of India will be a stylized period film, and both the films will have a huge doze of visual effects in them.

A few months earlier Kunder had announced his own film production company- Shirish Kunder Film Company Pvt. Ltd. While he is still busy setting up his office and making appointments, work will start in full swing soon.

“After I set up my office in a month’s time, I will spend a large part of the year 2008 to put projects in place. Then I plan to keep making films. In 2009 January I will direct Joker and by mid 2009 I will start Prince of India. Alongside, I will also be producing films for other directors and am in the process of zeroing in on scripts,” adds Kunder.

About the current status of Joker, Kunder says, “I am still casting for the film. I am yet to finalise my super villain and heroine, for which I am looking for a brilliant dancer and also the second male lead.”

When queried about an output deal with a corporate company, Kunder remained tight lipped.