The word is out so I am admitting the fact: Aishwarya Rai confirms being in Mani Ratnam's next

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is set to team up with mentor Mani Ratnam again. She has confirmed that she will be part of Mani Ratnam's next production based on the novel Ponniyin Selvan, a classic of Tamil literature.

The actress confirmed the news in an interview with film critic Anupama Chopra. Answering a question on her next film, Rai Bachchan said, "What I will commit to is even though Mani hasn't formally announced it himself, I am working with him. The word is out so I'm committing to that fact. And I don't have to agree. I'll always be more than thrilled, excited, overwhelmed, humbled, and just happy to work with my guru. So, yeah, that's happening. Back to school."

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had made her cinema debut with Mani Ratnam's critically acclaimed Iruvar (1997) before going on to team up with him again in Guru (2007) and Raavan (2010).

Ponniyin Selvan is a work of historical fiction by the late Kalki Krishnamurthy. The story is set in the 10th-11th century period of the Tamil Chola rulers, and revolves around the life of the king Arulmozhivarman.

In addition to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the film will feature a number of top Southern artistes like Amala Paul, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Vikram and Mohan Babu.

The film is already in pre-production, with a launch announcement expected later this year. The film is being backed by Lyca Productions.