'Aamir'director Rajkumar Gupta's next film is based on thesensational Jessica Lal murder and he approached Kareena Kapoor to play one of the two protagonists. Butso far he hasn't been able to finalise anyone for the lead roles in 'No OneKilled Jessica'.

"I did approach Kareena Kapoorinitially to play one of the two protagonists. But nothing more can be saidabout the casting right now," Gupta told us. Jessica Lal was gunned downin a New Delhi restaurant in April 1999. Manu Sharma, son of a former minister,is serving a life term for killing her.

"All I can say at this moment is thatthe film and its script which I've just completed is inspired by a headlinethat I saw in the Times Of India in 2006 which said, 'No One Killed Jessica'(when all the accused in the sensational case were acquitted). It immediatelyset me thinking. Over the years, as the case dragged on, that headline acquiredimmense ironical overtones," he added.

"No One Killed Jessica" will needtwo leading female performers - one will play Jessica and the other will becast as her sister Sabrina who fought for justice on Jessica's behalf. The director,whose edgy hard-hitting drama 'Aamir' earned rave reviews in 2007, intends togive the same gritty treatment to his second film as well.

Though Gupta is all for the way first timedirector Raja Menon had directed his script, he admits he would have filmed thescript differently. "I'd have made 'Barah Aana' edgier, more gritty andfast-paced. That's the treatment I had envisaged for the screenplay.

"Also, it isn't clear in the film whyNaseeruddin Shah's character doesn't speak. He just looks angry. The fact isthe character has nothing more to say to the world. This aspect doesn't comeacross in the film," Gupta said.

"I'd have cast someone like DeepakDobriyal. But that's neither here nor there. 'Barah Aana' is fine the way itis," he said.

"I don't know. 'Barah Aana' was a commitment from before I directed'Aamir'. Right now my concentration is on casting for 'No One Killed Jessica'.I just hope I don't end up casting whoever is available. I need two very strongyoung actresses."