After conquering Bollywood through performances as diverse as a colonised villager (Lagaan [ Images ]), a dyslexic teacher (Taare Zameen Par [ Images ]) and a man with short-term memory loss (Ghajini [ Images ]), Aamir Khan [ Images ] is reportedly ready to play a madman.

But that's not all. Rumour from the Cannes [ Images ] Film Festival is that director Pan Nalin is prepared to cast Aamir opposite recent Oscar winner Kate Winslet [ Images ], for a film based on the short story Toba Tek Singh by Saadat Hasan Manto, which takes a look inside a Lahore [ Images ] mental asylum in 1947, using the situation to examine the Indo-Pak relationship around the time of Partition.

Pan Nalin has reportedly said that either Kate Winslet or Rachel Weisz [ Images ] could give justice to the role of Dr Sophie; he plans to meet both the actresses after the Cannes festival to finalise the casting.

Winslet, like Khan, is known for playing a diverse range of roles -- and is considered by many to be the finest English-speaking actress of her generation. Some of her noted performances include Titanic [ Images ], Sense and Sensibility, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Little Children, Revolutionary Road [ Images ] and The Reader.

Reports say that Aamir is impressed with the script and has expressed a desire to play the male lead Bishan Singh. If he signs the dotted line, then you will see him playing the role of a lunatic in a mental asylum.

Another name mentioned for the male lead role is Saif Ali Khan [ Images ].

Kate's Photograph: Mike Blake/ Reuters
Aamir's Photograph: Manav Manglani/ Reuters