Aishwarya Rai's first foray into Hollywood will see her working alongside Gandhi actor Ben Kingsley and Colin Firth (Bridget Jones' Diary), playing the only female lead.

The film, a Roman epic titled The Last Legion, will be shot in Tunisia, Capri and Slovakia. Principal photography is scheduled to begin this August.

Both Last Legion and Mistress of Spices, the latest project by Gurinder Chadha and her husband Paul Berges (also starring Rai), are backed by Ingenious Film Partners, an offshoot of British financier Ingenious Media.

IFP began only in November last year its fund-raising strategy has already proved itself. Although exact figures are unavailable McKenna admitted the fund has surpassed its original target of raising $180m (£100m). Reports suggest the final figure stands at over $400m. IFP also invested in Gurinder Chadha's Bride and Prejudice and Vanity Fair, directed by Mira Nair.

In total the new fund has invested approximately $200 million of production equity into several films ranging from blockbusters like 20th Century Fox's X-Men 3 to independent movies.

Although the fund isn't exclusive to British films, those with high British content are priority according to Ingenious chairman Patrick McKenna, be that the actors, crew or production company. He describes the venture as "a risk capital film fund that has adopted an integrated commercial strategy encompassing production and distribution".

Details have yet to be revealed but Aishwarya Rai's part in The Last Legion will be her first non-Indian role. The film is a part-historical, part-legendary tale surrounding the fall of the Roman Empire and its last emperor, 12-year-old Romulus Augustus.

It is reportedly a $70 million production from Italian indie veteran Dino De Laurentiis (of Blue Velvet, Hannibal, La Strada and Serpico fame) and will be a directorial debut for Doug Lefler, who also worked on Spider Man. The film's North American distribution rights were bought by ex-Miramax boss Harvey Weinstein, who now runs his own production and distribution company.

Although Rai is not allowed to discuss her latest role, the actress said in a recent interview: "There never was any doubt in my mind about which way my career abroad would go. Only the doubters back home seemed to feel I was imagining the offers from abroad, when in fact they were coming in constantly."

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