After playing the simple, golden-hearted Munnabhai, Bollywood top star Sanjay Dutt is set to metamorphose into a cold, calculating serial killer - a la Charles Shobhraj in a film called 'Charles and I'.

Made by People Pictures, the racy thriller will be helmed by ace director Prawaal Raman and tells the story of the enigmatic French criminal of Indian and Vietnamese origin who sent the police forces in half a dozen countries on a wild-goose chase.

'It is a great role and I look forward to working on the film,' said Sanjay.

On roping in Sanjay for the lead role, writer-director Raman said: 'Charles is a complex character - a charming man with a dangerous mind and dangerous intentions.

Finding the right actor who has the ability to exude all these qualities at the same time was a tough call. We were looking for an actor who radiates star power coupled with the finest acting prowess to portray Charles. The only actor in my opinion who fitted that profile was Sanjay Dutt.'

Sobhraj escaped five times from jails in Afghanistan, France, Greece, Iran and India. Currently he is in a Nepal jail in a double murder case.

Aditya Shastri, CEO of People Pictures, said: 'Sanjay is a terrific human being and a gifted actor who has the versatility to play diverse roles with unbeatable flair. Hence, we are very happy that he will be playing the lead role in 'Charles and I'.

'We are working towards delivering an action-packed, thrilling cat-and-mouse chase spanning five countries. The film takes us through the journey of two men. One who kills and cons people for pleasure and the glory of being world famous, and the other who will stop at nothing to bring the killer down. We are sure the audience will love it.'