Bollywood actor-director Dev Anand, set to make a documentary film on President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, has chosen an engineer from Bihar for the lead role.

Bhushan Das, 58, a Kalam look alike down to the long grey hair, has been selected for the documentary, "Missile Man".

"I never thought even in my dreams that I will act in films," Das said.

Das, an engineer in the building and construction department of the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University in Muzaffarpur, about 70 km from here, is locally known as "Kalam chacha" for his resemblance with the Indian president.

He said that he noticed an advertisement in a newspaper last year seeking a person resembling Kalam for the lead role in a documentary film.

"After initial hesitation I sent my photograph. A few months later I received an invitation from Dev Anand to come to Mumbai for a screen test" Das told.

"There were over half a dozen look-alikes of President Kalam, but I was selected as I have the closest resemblance to the great man," he said.

The university has granted him leave of two months for the shooting, scheduled to begin next month.

"I will soon leave for the shooting in Britain and Singapore," he said.