Tips Films venture RACE has been making headlines nonstop.

This Abbas Mustan directed film is hot property already in the trade circles. Even though it's scheduled for a December/ January release, RACE is already a much discussed and eagerly anticipated project. The buzz has grown bigger ever since international designer and fashion guru Jean Paul Gaultier actually dropped in on the sets for a peek a boo.

Rumour has it that socialite Aarti Surendranath (of Kailash Picture Company) brought him to the sets of Abbas-Mustan's RACE at Yash Raj Studios, where the cast including Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif was shooting a video for the title song.

Says a source,, "Jean-Paul was in Mumbai for a week and was fascinated by Bollywood. When he heard that Race was being shot, he insisted on meeting with the stars. Aarti Surendranath brought him to the sets and he spent a good two hours chatting with the cast. Later, Jean-Paul was so keen to watch the item number being shot, that he told the directors not to call for a break."

The actresses also added their own value. Adds the source, "Bipasha and Katrina took Gaultier on a guided tour of the studio. He seemed fascinated by their styling courtesy Vogue's new fashion director, Anahita Shroff. He felt the three girls looked like international models."

Producer Ramesh Taurani the head honcho of Tips is obviously delighted with this development. Says he, "Jean-Paul was very excited. He stood for two hours seeing the song being shot and even danced like a little child when the music was on. It was a great privilege to show an esteemed person like him around my set. Jean-Paul was fascinated about everything happening around him."

About Jean-Paul Gaultier:

Jean-Paul Gaultier has long been known as the enfant terrible of French fashion. In the 1990s, he catapulted to extraordinary frame for having designed a set of conical brass for Madonna during her Blond Ambition tour.

Gaultier has also designed the wardrobe for many motion pictures, including Luc Besson's avant grade film The Fifth Element, Pedro Almodovar's Kika and Pierre Jeunet's La Cite des Enfants Perdus (The City Of Lost Children). Currently, he designs for three collections: his own couture and ready-to-wear lines, as well as the newly re-launched clothing line for French luxury fashion house, Hermes.