The 23 year-old Anaitha Nair who made her debut in Chak De India as Aliya Bose will soon be seen again on the silver screen.

Essaying the role of a cancer patient named Padma, she will be appearing in the Nagesh Kukunoor directed film Aashayein, opposite John Abraham.

Nair, who is of half Malayali and half Parsi origin, went bald in order to get the right feel for the character she was portraying.

The story behind the film is that of Rahul Singh, a compulsive gambler played by Abraham, who discovers new meanings of fortune and life through some dramatic turn of events.

Produced by Percept Picture Company Aashayein is scheduled for a May 9th release.