Ash turns warrior in Jhansi ki Rani

Mumbai: Actress Aishwarya Rai is adding a must-have skill to her acting repertoire: learning to use a sword while riding a horse.

Newly-married Ash will need the skills to play warrior queen Jhansi ki Rani in a new movie, director Ketan Mehta told the Mumbai Mirror in an interview published on Friday.

''Ash will undergo intensive training,'' Mehta said. ''The role demands a lot of action scenes.''

Ash is to play Rani Lakshmibai, the legendary ruler of of Jhansi, who played a key role in the failed 1857 uprising against India's then British colonial rulers.

Lakshmibai died aged 23 on the battlefield while fighting British soldiers in 1858.

Mehta said he was completing the script for the Jhansi Ki Rani and the cast would include British actors. He also plans to hire British technicians and trainers for the action sequences.

Last year, another actress Sushmita Sen said she planned to produce and star in a separate movie on Lakshmibai but she has not announced details of its filming. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the uprising.