Ravi Chopra to co-produce Deepa's Heaven On Earth

It seems like the season of improbable collaborations. First we had Ekta Kapoor and Sanjay Gupta getting together to produce films. Now it's Deepa Mehta and Ravi Chopra who will be co-producing Deepa's first Punjabi film Heaven On Earth.

Chopra who's currently in London will fly to Toronto in November to seal the deal. He says, "I really like Deepa and her partner David Hamilton. We share a certain creative and community affinity (we're both Punjabis). I distributed Deepa's Water in India. And now it looks like I'll be co-producing Heaven On Earth. I hope there're many more films to come."

Says Deepa, "I'm still very much a stranger in the Mumbai film industry. Mr. Ravi Chopra is someone whom I share a great rapport. That's still a rarity for me in Bollywood."

Adds her partner David Hamilton from Toronto, "Yes, Mr. Chopra and I are in negotiation. But right now it's too early to say anything about it. We're looking at not just an India-based collaboration but a far larger partnership stretching over several films."