"The next Don is coming up really well. At the moment, we are into heavy pre-production for that. We would start shooting on Oct 1 or 2... that's the scheduled date to start shooting. So we are getting there... slowly but surely. I am very excited about it and I am quite certain that I'll have a great time making it and that the audience will surely enjoy it," Farhan told reporters here.

Don - The Chase Begins was a remake of 1978 movie Don that had megastar Amitabh Bachchan as the gangster. The film received a cult status and is still etched in the minds of many movie buffs.

In 2007, Farhan came out with the Don - The Chase Begins with Shah Rukh Khan in the title role. Now the director is set to make part two of the movie and says he will retain most of the star cast from the first instalment.

"There will be a lot of people from my previous Don itself. So there will be Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, Arjun Rampal and Om Puri. There are also new characters added to the script this time but they are currently being cast," he said.

Farhan was in the capital to promote his movie Karthik Calling Karthik, a thriller releasing on 500 screens this Friday.

The movie is his third as an actor but Farhan says he will never give up direction.

"I would love to have a combination of both acting and directing in my life. I don't plan on giving up direction. I love it too much. I am getting back to it with Don towards the end of this year. So it will be a combination of both things always," he said.

Professional Deepika

Praising his Karthik Calling Karthik co-star Deepika Padukone, Farhan said: "Deepika is extremely professional which I respect a lot. She is prepared about what she needs to do through the day in advance. At the same time, she is not stubborn about having practised and visualised a scene in a certain way and then adapting it differently if asked to.

"I think as an actor, who is evolving and still growing, it's important to be a good listener. She has the ability to listen and not just be made to say the dialogues. I feel that's great."

Meanwhile, Deepika dismissed reports she is teaming up with Madhur Bhandarkar for a sequel to his film Corporate, but said if given a chance she would love to work with the filmmaker, known for making realistic and hard-hitting movies.

"Not that I am aware of this (that I'm working with Bhandarkar). But if he comes to me with the film and the script is interesting, I would love to work with him. He is one of the directors I would love to work with," Deepika, 24, told reporters.

About pairing with Farhan, she said: "What's the big deal about our pairing. I think one should just fit the character according to the director's wish. I was initially nervous, but later all was well. He is an extremely funny person."