by Subhash K Jha

Disturbed and angry,Sanjay Gupta holidaying in Pune rushed back to Mumbai for some serious damage control after a report in a tabloid on Wednesday morning claimed Gupta had replaced his erstwhile buddy Sanjay Dutt with the bit-player Vishwajeet Pradhan in Alibaug.

Gutpta is livid. "How can they even talk like this? This guy plays the walk-on part of Amrita Singh's husband in the story Poornamshi in my Dus Kahaniyan. If I"ve to replace Sanju, which I'd never dream of doing, it has to be someone of Dutt's stature."

Gupta says the whole "preposterous" rumour originated from Pradhan standing in for Dutt in one particular shot.

"We needed someone with Sanju's build for a crucial long-shot. Pradhan fitted the bill. Beyond that this guy has no authority or stature to replace Sanju.

Come to think of it, nobody in the industry has the stature to stand up to Sanju. He's the protagonist of Alibaug. The entire drama unfolds through Sanju's character.

How can I replace him? There's no Alibaug without Sanju," ends Gupta emotionally.

And adds, "At a time when my relations with Sanju are being put under a lot of strain, the last thing I need is more trouble on that front."

Gupta rushed back from Pune to consult his lawyers in Mumbai about the legal ramifications of the story.