Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has denied that the scripts of two of his forthcoming films, Rajkumar Santoshi's "Family" and Ram Gopal Varma's "Sarkar" are identical.

In both films the Big B plays the gangster boss of a household that is at loggerheads with another family.

In response to the comment that his recent films have launched a number of newcomers, tells Bachchan : "It's a rule that the old must go and the new must come in. I'm just happy to stand behind them and be part of their prominence."

"Family" will launch its producer, Keshu Ramsay's son, Aryaman, who plays a young man caught between two warring families, headed by Amitabh and Akshay Kumar.

"Family" is Akshay Kumar's fourth film with Amitabh. At the film's 'mahurat' in the Marriott Hotel, Mumbai, Akshay said: "Playing a chef was easy, as I was a professional chef and I'm very proud of it."

Bachchan clarified that "Ranveer", his other film with Santoshi, was temporarily delayed due to problems with the script but would be launched end-2004.

"Rajkumar Santoshi is a very gifted director, so we know his movie will shape up very well. He has made only 14 films in 10 years, which shows his dedication to quality," Bachchan said.

The film's launch, which was attended by actor Aamir Khan, politician Amar Singh and "diamond king" Bharat Shah, was aimed at generating interest among investors.

Rajat Arora and Sridhar Raghavan will write the screenplay for Shaktiman's story, while Tigmanshu Dhulia and Rajkumar Santoshi will do the dialogues. The rest of the film's cast has not been finalised.