Avant-garde Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh's first Hindi film "Raincoat" is evoking great curiosity and enthusiasm both at home and in the festival circuit abroad.

Starring mainstream actors Aishwarya Rai, who acted in his earlier film "Chokher Bali", and Ajay Devgan, the film has already been selected on the basis of its rough cuts for the 39th Annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 25- July 12) in the Czech Republic.

The film, aimed at a wider audience from the much-awarded director, is getting ready for a global release in August.

It deals with the relationship between two protagonists from Bihar, Manoj (Ajay) and Niru (Aishwarya) and is set against the backdrop of a rainy afternoon. The narrative begins with Manoj leaving his mother to travel to Kolkata in search of a job.

The city holds out hope for a different life, an opportunity to come out of his financial crunch and a chance to meet his beloved Niru who is no longer his.

He sets out to visit his old love on a rainy day in Kolkata, with his friend's old raincoat, which becomes instrumental in bringing out the love that Niru and Manoj have nurtured for each other since childhood.

Told in flashbacks and smooth transitions between the past and the present, "Raincoat" is a story of a love that endures despite circumstances, separation and a sense of futility.

Aishwarya has gone in for the no-make-up look in this film.

Besides Aishwarya and Ajay, the film stars Mouli Ganguly, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Annu Kapoor and Surekha Sikri.

Produced by Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni, it has music composed by Debojyoti Mishra.

Ajay even entered into a profit-sharing deal with the producers to keep the production costs down.

Interestingly, Rituparno Ghosh had written the entire script in Bengali and it was then translated into Hindi by eminent playwright Usha Ganguly.

Ajay and Aishwarya have teamed up for the fourth time in this film after "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam", "Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin" and "Khakee".