Two of our busiest stars Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgn have agreed to be part of a hurriedly-designed mega-project, only because Amitabh Bachchan plays the lead.

Raj Kumar Santoshi's The Outsider with Amitabh Bachchan has been temporarily postponed for the lack of proper permission to shoot in the US where it was situated. Rather than allow the Big B's dates to go to waste, Raj Santoshi has moved to another crime thriller for the same producer Firoz Nadiadwala.

This crime thriller will also feature Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt in stellar roles and would be shot both in India and abroad.

Devgn and Dutt both extremely busy stars in their own right agreed to be part of the project at such short notice because of the Big B's presence.

Devgn and Dutt gave the project a nod without even hearing the script when they were told it was the Big B playing the main lead. Neither of the two stars showed any hesitation in saying yes at the last minute.

Explaining the overnight shift in plot location and project Santoshi says, "The other project The Outsider was not working out on time. It has become very difficult for Indian filmmakers to shoot in the US. Rather than allow the dates to go to waste I put forward the new project. It's a thriller about a vigilante. And yes Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt are also part of the project. "

The shooting starts in the next couple of months to coincide with the dates that the Big B had allotted for the other project.

Says Santoshi, "It's an out-and-out action film. Mr. Bachchan plays a vigilante. Ajay and Sanjay Dutt also have very powerful parts. "

This is the first time Santoshi would be working with Sanjay Dutt. They were to collaborate on a historical about the Partition. But period films are pretty much a no-no at the box-office.

Says Santoshi, "The responsibility of doing justice to Mr Bachchan and Ajay whom I've worked with earlier and Sanjay Dutt whom I'm working with for the first time, is the same. "

Surprisingly Santoshi's one- time favourite action-star Sunny Deol doesn't feature in the cast although Deol has shown interest in getting back together with Santoshi.

Reacting to Deol's cynical observation that Santoshi is allowing the market to dictate to his creativity Santoshi says, "The market does dictate the films I do. It's a reality. And we must all face it. "

Adds producer Firoz Nadiadwala, "We'll be shooting the film in India and Dubai. Mr. Bachchan will be seen as a master of disguises. For his special disguise we're getting makeup persons from Hollywood.

We're getting stunt co-ordinators from some of the top names who have done the action in A-grade Hollywood films recently. I can't reveal names of the stunt guys and the makeup guys from Hollywood because we're under negotiation.

And you've to hear the dialogues Raj Santoshi has written for Mr. Bachchan. They're the best I've heard since Deewaar. "

About Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgn the producer says, "When it's a writer-director of Raj Santoshi's caliber he'll make sure he does justice to actors of Sanjay and Ajay's caliber. "