Casting Abhishek and his illustrious Bachchan father as son and father was seen as too predictable. In a film that marks the return of Telugu director Puri Jagannath to Bollywood, Sonu Sood, and not Abhishek, has been cast as Big B's son.

It was felt by everyone that Sood bears an uncanny resemblance to the young Big B from the early 1970s.

Says a source close to the project, "If you put Mr. Bachchan's still from Anand and Pyar Ki Kahani next to Sood's stills, you'd think it's the same person".

The project earlier entitled Bhudda: Don't F. K With Him is now entitled Bhudda Panga Nahin Lene Ka. Apparently Ram Gopal Varma, the producer, was keen on it. But the `F' word didn't go down too well with Big B.

The project to be produced by Ramu puts a lid on all speculation about RGV's apparently shaky relationship with the Bachchans. RGV will first produce the senior Bachchan's film with Sonu Sood in October and then direct a film starring Abhishek Bachchan in January.

Except for the fact that the expletive from the title Bhudda: Don't F.. K With Him has now been deleted, apparently on Big B's suggestion, the ambitious project produced by Ram Gopal Varma and directed by Telugu cinema's no. 1 director Puri Jagannath has suffered no dent due to Big B's meager dates. AB had earlier decided to focus on his television commitment for `Kaun Banega Crorepati' this year. But now in what appears to be swift swoop of changed plans Puri Jagannath's film will be shot from October.

Speaking from Hyderabad Puri, who had flown in last week to finalize all plans for the Bachchan starrer, says, "Yes, I've cast Sonu Sood with Mr Bachchan. I've done two Telugu films with Sonu. He's a very talented actor. I can't talk about his role. Mr Bachchan's character requires two heroines. So does Sonu Sood's. I'll be finalizing them shortly".

Earlier Puri had put Bhudda.. on the backburner in favor of a gangster epic The Businessman with Suriya. Now the prolific Telugu director will make the Bachchan film first in October. But before that he helms a Telugu film in August.

Adds Sonu Sood, "It's a dream come true for me. I've waited ten years to work with Bachchan Saab. It's an intense cop's role. And the best part is that I got the role because everyone in the project says I look like Mr. Bachchan in Zanjeer. I remember it was Mani Ratnam who said it first. In Yuva when Abhishek and I were working together as brothers, Mani Sir said I look more like Bachchan Saab than he did".

--Subhash K. Jha/ Sampurn Wire