MUMBAI: When Deepa Mehta came to Mumbai for a day, she met Amitabh Bachchan at his office Janak to pen a deal with the superstar. Deepa and Bachchan will work together on her next project, titled Exclusion.

It looks like Mr Bachchan's earlier stance on the redundancy of an international career is out the window.

Whether he wants it or not, international filmmakers are ready to sign him. After Mira Nair, who signed him for her Hollywood opus Shantaram, now comes Deepa with Exclusion.

Previously titled Kamagata Maru, it is a true life story of a ship in the early part of the 19th century that took a group of illegal Indians to the shores of Canada . The film will star Big B and John Abraham.

Says Deepa, "Mr Bachchan and I met in Toronto when he was there to promote Karan Johar's film Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. I was there with Water. At that time he showed an interest in Exclusion. Now we met again at his office on Friday and he has said he has accepted my offer. I'm too delighted for words. It's been a dream to direct him."