Gandhi - Kingsley Takes On Story Of Taj Mahal

GANDHI star SIR BEN KINGSLEY will travel back in time to delve deeper into Indian history - he's set to portray the emperor who built the Taj Mahal.

The Oscar-winning actor has signed to play Shah Jahan in Taj, opposite Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

The emperor ordered the construction of the Indian landmark in 1632 in memory of his third wife, who had died while giving birth to their 14th child.

Mahal's body was later stored in the tomb of the architectural wonder.

Kingsley's production company SBK Pictures will back the project, which is estimated at between $25 and $30 million (£15.6 and £18.75 million).

In a statement, Kingsley says, "With my passion for India and the Taj Mahal now becoming one of the Seven Wonders of the World, I am compelled to ask 'why' and 'how' this scream of grief frozen in marble came into being."