The role was coveted by almost every 20-something wannabe in Bollywood. Vatsal Seth of Tarzan The Wonder Car, Vishal Malhotra (the second lead in Ishq Vishq) and Shreyas Talpade (of Iqbal) were among the 50-odd hopefuls who screen-tested for the role of the 19-year old spy in Mani Shankar's new techno-thriller which he's shooting currently in Hyderbad.

Sammir Dattani had almost been finalized for Ken Ghosh's Ishq Vishq when he was replaced at the eleventh hour by Shahid Kapoor. While director Ghosh was keen on Sammir, the producers Tips wanted Shahid.

Recently Sammir was all but signed to play the lead in Sooraj Barjatya's Vivah.

Reveals a source, "Sammir is almost like the Rajshris' ghar ka bachcha. They had launched him and looked after him like a family member. The role was written with Sammir in mind. But Sooraj-ji was under boxoffice pressure. Sammir hadn't proven himself in the market. The director had no choice but to sign Shahid."

Sammir almost missed the buzz again a third time. Says the young actor, "When I got a call from Mani Shankar's assistant for a screen test I almost decided to stay away. First of all they wanted dates which clashed with my other current assignment. Fortunately I was persuaded to go. And it all worked out."

The untitled film being produced by a Hyderabad-based company called Color Chips and Mani Shankar is expected to be completed in 40-45 days.