Bollywood's Bond baddie

Bollywood's leading bad boy has been cast as the villain opposite Daniel Craig in Casino Royale - the next Bond movie.

Gulshan Grover, who has played hundreds of evil characters in a career spanning three decades, will take the role of Le Chiffre in the film based on Ian Fleming's first James Bond book.

Grover, 50, said: "To be in Casino Royale would be a real honour to me and my country."

He added: "Shooting is due to begin in February in Prague and although I do already have commitments I will drop everything if necessary."

Grover, who is divorced and was recently dating former Miss World Diana Hayden, is a big fan of Bond films.

He said: "In India the character of the villain is so integral to our storytelling. I have always enjoyed playing memorable 'bad men' and what villains are more memorable than the Bond villains such as Blofeld from You Only Live Twice and Scaramanga from The Man With The Golden Gun."

He added: "I have played so many negative characters in my time that people in India are often too scared to talk to me."

Aoen productions, which owns the Bond franchise, has been trying to boost 007's popularity in the Asian market for several years.

In 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies they cast Michelle Yeoh as a Bond girl, and also reportedly considered Indian actress Aishwarya Rai for 2002's Die Another Day.

Grover will be the first Indian to star in a Bond film since tennis star Vijay Amritraj and Kabir Bedi who both acted in 1983's Octopussy. The actor, who lives in Mumbai with his son Sanjay, met Prince Charles yesterday at Clarence House.

He said: "It was great to meet the Prince, he is a man who I have much admiration for and his commitment to the Prince's Trust is excellent."

Grover has acted in several films outside India including the 2002 thriller Beeper with Harvey Keitel. His Bollywood hits include the 2003 remake of Double Indemnity, Jism (The Dark Side of Desire) and the 1995 hit Rangeela (Colours). His latest film Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena (One Player, One Temptress) is out on 18 November.