MUMBAI: With both his debut film I Am Kalam and Jalpari-The Desert Mermaid having won rave reviews, Nila Madhab Panda is making a film based on the issue of world food security.

The film, which will span from 2001 to 2010, will be like a realistic version of Avatar.

Panda has approached Richard Gere to star in the film. If Gere accepts, he will play the sutradhar, that of a foreigner who comes to India and gets involved with the socio-political setup of a village in the India-Australia joint production.

The director has also proposed Harrison Ford’s name for the film.

“We’re talking to a lot of people. Nothing is confirmed yet, but this film will be much bigger (compared to his past films),” observed Panda.

Talking about Jalpari-The Desert Mermaid , Panda averred, “It’s more than just a children’s film. It falls in the family adventure space.”

Panda is gearing up to release Jalpari on 28 July through producer-distributor Ultra Distributors.

The distributor has already received distribution offers from far flung countries like Korea, Taiwan, Germany and Far East.