A NEW INNINGS: Trisha and Priyadarshan

'TRISHA'S MY BABY' ...says director Priyadarshan, who is convinced that the actress has done a great job in his film       Priyadarshan is a happy man. Hislatest Bollywood flick Khatta Meetha has been passed by the censors with a clean 'U' certificate. In an exclusive with CT. the Chennai based director said, "I would rate this as my best Hindi film to date. It is a satitical comedy loosely based on my 1989 Mohalal-Shobhana starrer Vellanakulde Nadu. A year ago, I read an interesting survey that out of the budget allocated for development of infrastructure in India, only 30 per cent is actually spent on it. The remaining 70 per cent goes into the corrupt hands of politicians, middlemen and local administration."       When asked about Trisha, who's making her Bollywood debut with this film, Priyadarshan waxes eloquent. "trisha is my baby. I discovered her while doing an ad film and cast her in my Lesa Lesa,"  he reveals, "I did not consider her as a gret artiste at that time, but over the years, she has made  me proud with her achievements. In my film, she's stepping into a role done by Shobhana, one of the finest actresses in India. After watching the first copy, I'm convinced that Trisha has done justice to her role."        Clearing the air about why Akshay Kumar isn't talking about Trisha in his media interviews Priyadarshan says, "It was Akshay Kumar, one ofthe producers of the film, who wanted a new face from south India to play the heroin's role. When he saw some film clippings that featured Trisha, he readily agreed to cast her as his heroine," About questions being asked in Kollywood ion why Trisha is not getting the kind of media hype and promotion that Asin got at the time of her launch in Mumbai, Priyan shoots back, "Asin had given her dates to Aamir Khan and her focus was completely on her launch vehicle, which paid rich dividends. ?Trisha, I'm told, is shooting somewhere in Europe for a Tamil film. She should have been here now and attending promotional activities with Akshay Kumar in North Indian cities. I strongly believe in Bollywood's marketing strategy - promote or perish."         Priyadarshan, who has set his story against the Marathi milieu, has Akshay Kumar essaying the role of a struggling but honest road contractor (Sachin Tichkule) who ultimately succumbs to the corrupt system. Trisha plays Gehna Ganpule,municipal commissioner in the same town, and ex-girlfriend of Sachin who now hates him!