From essaying the role of a good hearted goon in Munnabhai M.B.B.S , Sanjay Dutt is taking a U-turn and is set to play the role of notorious criminal Charles Sobhraj.

Charles Sobhraj is a criminal of half Indian –half Vietnamese origin and of French nationality. He has enjoyed the infamous sobriquet as the “Bikini killer” as well as “the serpent’. The first because he is reputed to have murdered at least 20 backpackers in the 1970’s and 1980’s and the second because he has evaded the police across five continents who were on his chase. Presently he has been serving a life sentence since 2004 in Nepal for a double murder he committed a few decades ago.

The movie “ Charles and I “promises to be a racy thriller based on his life. To be made by People pictures and directed by Prawaal Raman, its features Sunjay Dutt as Charles SobhRaj.

Sanjay Dutt says, “It’s a great role and I look forward to working on the film.”

On roping in Sanjay for the lead role, writer-director Raman said: “Charles is a complex character - a charming man with a dangerous mind and dangerous intentions. Finding the right actor who has the ability to exude all these qualities at the same time was a tough call. We were looking for an actor who radiates star power coupled with the finest acting prowess to portray Charles. The only actor in my opinion who fitted that profile was Sanjay Dutt”.

The new film, “Charles and I“, will focus on the years of cat and mouse that Charles Sobhraj played with the law. It will be shot in Turkey, France, India and Australia, director Prawaal Raman told Reuters on Thursday.

“This is going to be a very interesting film and I have done extensive research and interviewed the police officers who arrested Charles Sobhraj in India and handled his case,” Raman said from Mumbai.

The film will be action-packed, a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase spanning five countries,” said Aditya Shastri, the head of People Pictures, which is producing the movie, expected to hit theatres in the middle of 2009