Director Sohan Roy wanted Aishwarya Rai for 'Dam 999'

Director Sohan Roy has said that he originally wanted Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to star in his 3D film, Dam 999.

Made in Hindi, English, Tamil and Telugu, the film is about the adventures and agony a mariner faces when at sea.

"Her father and brother are both mariners. So I was keen on getting her for my film, and her office even accepted the script. But due to delays in the Raavan shoot, she couldn't provide us the dates we were to go on floor," Roy told The Hindustan Times.

"To balance her stardom, actors like Madhavan [and] Preity Zinta were also considered to represent other 'rasas'. Since the shooting of Raavan got prolonged, Aishwarya was not in a position to spare us dates as per our schedule, so we had to change the entire cast.

"I must admit, if she was part of the project, it would have added to the international appeal."

The cast comprises Indian and international stars such as Rajit Kapur, Joshua Fredric Smith, Linda Arsenio, Gary Richardson, Jaala Pickering, Ashish Vidyarthi, Vinay Rai, Vimala Raman and Megha Burman.