Saif having a ball in Bollywood

New Delhi: World Cup fever may have ended, but Bollywood is just warming up to soccer as the new hot theme at the box office.

Director Vivek Agnihotri has zeroed in on actor Saif Ali Khan to play the lead in his new venture, the aptly titled Goal.

"It's basically a social drama with (soccer) as the background," Agnihotri was quoted as saying in the Delhi Times newspaper.

But Agnihotri denies he's trying to cash in on the World Cup mania that gripped millions in India last month.

“I was toying with the idea for a long time and after the World Cup decided to go ahead with it,” he said.

The director said he is in talks with Saif to set dates for shooting the film.

“We are talking to him and keeping our fingers crossed,” Agnihotri said.

Agnihotri's debut film titled, Chocolate, a thriller set in London, earned mixed reviews last year.

Saif tasted box office success after several years in Bollywood. His string of hit films include, Dil Chahta Hai, Parineeta, Hum Tum and Salaam Namaste.