Anees Bazmee to direct Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt for a record price

Anees Bazmee has been signed by Anil Kapoor for his next home production. The direction fees offered to him for the same is a staggering Rs. 15 crore.

An industry source revealed, "Anil Kapoor has signed Sanjay Dutt and Akshaye Khanna in the lead roles. Anil too shall be playing one of the leads in the film. Amrita Rao is being considered to play one of the female leads while hunt for two more actresses is still on. Amrita is playing the lead in Anil's current in-production film, Shortkut, also starring Akshaye Khanna and Arshad Warsi."

When contacted, Anees stated, "Yes it is true that I am going to do Anil Kapoor's film and I have been offered Rs. 15 crore for directing it. He has offered me same also because he intends to start the film soon just after he finishes his current in-production film, Shortkut. But I don't think so I shall do the film for such a high price offered. We have had a very successful working relationship with No Entry and Welcome. I am also doing his younger brother Sanjay Kapoor's first production, Its My Life. The script for the Sanjay-Anil-Akshaye starrer hasn't been completed yet. But its a complete entertainer let me assure you."

There was a time when there was cold war of sorts happening between Sanjay Dutt and Anil Kapoor for over a decade but it got over when Sanjay Gupta who was Dutt's production house White Feathers partner then, brokered peace between them and got Anil to sign in for their production, Musafir (2004). Sanjay returned the favour by doing an item song appearance in Anil's Shortkut dancing along Amrita Rao and Anil Kapoor.

--SAMPURN