It is a role that has been immortalized by Dharmendra in Ramesh Sippy's 1975 epic Sholay . Now Abhishek Bachchan is gearing up to do a reprise of the role in Ram Gopal Varma's remake of the movie.

Guess what? When Ram Gopal Varma offered Abhishek the role of Veeru in his Sholay remake, the young Bachchan's response was an incredulous 'Who, Me?'

Incredulous at first, Abhishek was soon persuaded by the maverick filmmaker who is known for thinking out of the box.

Varma says he does not want to go by the audience expectation and cast Abhi as the silent Jai, the role that was played by his father Amitabh Bachchan in the original movie.

IANS quotes Varma as saying: "I certainly don't want to go by predictable patterns of casting. See, Abhishek playing his dad's role is just what audiences expect. No, the idea is to stay many steps ahead of audiences' expectations."

But the question is - Would an actor like Abhishek, who is known more for his brooding intensity, be able to do justice to the role that requires exceptional comic timing?

Varma says he has seen glimmers of comic brilliance in Abhi in Bunty Aur Babli . He says in 'Sholay' he wants Abhi to go further and prove his versatility.

Abhishek says he is excited about playing Veeru as Sholay is one of the greatest films ever made.

"It's one of the greatest films ever made. This time, I'll get a chance to stand opposite dad. That should prove quite a challenge," Abhishek is quoted.

Apart from Abhishek as Veeru, Varma's Sholay will have Amitabh Bachchan as Gabbar Singh, Mohit Ahlawat as Jai and south superstar Mohanlal as Thakur.