Sanju Baba was signed for the part three days ago. Earlier, Rishi Kapoor was approached for the role by Karan Johar for this Dharma Productions' film.

However, last week after the actor took off on KJo and his show Koffee With Karan, the relations between them have become strained. The Agneepath remake directed by Karan Malhotra and produced by Karan Johar goes on the floors early next year.

Says an insider, "Rishi Kapoor had even agreed to go bald for the role. Agneepath, is mainly about two characters Vijay Dinanath Chauhan (played by Hrithik) and the baddie, Kancha Cheena (the role Dutt now plays).

"This is the first time, Sanju will be seen in a Dharma film. He has never played a villain in any film.

In Khalnayak, he was the leading man, so it doesn't count.It is learnt that Johar wanted Dutt to shave his head for the film but Sanju refused as he is shooting simultaneously for other films and it would cause continuity problems.

Now a special team of make-up artists from London will come down to India to give him the bald look.Dutt is very charged about his role.

"KJo is not talking about it right now as he plans to make a big announcement soon. Also he doesn't want Rishi to know right now that he has been replaced as Kapoor is likely to go off on another tirade against him.

" The arch-villain's role in the remake of Agneepath a film originally directed by Mukul Anand was written specially for Rishi Kapoor by debutant director Karan Malhotra, a big fan of the actor.The negative role was a special challenge for the actor, not only because the part wasn't there in the original, but also because Rishi was not comfortable playing the bad guy.

He was in two minds.The actor said last week, "I've never really been comfortable in a grey role.

I played an evil character in Bol Radha Bol and Khoj. Those roles didn't work for me.

But the villain's role in Agneepath is a special challenge because I play Hrithik Roshan's role-model in the remake. I am the guy Hrithik's character wants to be like.

"It was hard for Rishi to refuse the role because he and the debutant director go back a long way. Explains Rishi, "Karan Malhotra's father Ravi Malhotra did four films with me in the lead, all very successful.

But will audiences accept me as a bad man?" Guess we will never know. Recently ('Rishi Rages'; November 24, HiTLIST), Rishi Kapoor took off on Karan Johar for the comments made by Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor against his son Ranbr Kapoor on KJo's show Koffee With Karan.

Chintu felt that the host "instigated his guests" to bash his beta." He also threatened that none of the Kapoors would work with Dharma again, as Karan "didn't know how to respect relationships" The host was shocked at Rishi's unexpected attack and felt that Ranbir's paa should've spoken to him directly in stead of going to the media.

But Rishi, who felt that his son had been ridiculed on national TV, maintains he did nothing wrong. Agneepath (1990), directed by Mukul S Anand and produced by Yash Johar starred Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty, Madhavi, Rohini Hattangadi and Danny Denzongpa.

The title was taken from a poem penned by Harivansh Rai Bachchan and is recited by the main character throughout the film.Agneepath was set against the backdrop of the village of Mandwa ruled by crime baron Kancha Cheena who uses the coastal village as a landing point for his contraband from abroad.

Vijay swears to avenge his father's death caused by Kancha and becomes a bootblack in Mumbai. It's the story of the conflict between Kancha and Vijay that forms the crux of the film (less)