Says a source, "The film was originally supposed to be produced by Dutt's friend Bunty Walia and directed by Rohit Jugraj, who the actor felt, was the right person for a war epic. But then, Dutt went to jail and rather than wait for Dutt's release, it was felt that Devgn was the right person for the part."
Apparently the role requires the protagonist to be fighting-fit. "It would've taken Sanjay Dutt months and months of physical training to get into shape for this role. It was therefore felt it was better to replace Dutt with Devgn," says the source.
1