Mumbai, Jan 21 (IANS): Filmmaker Indra Kumar says he regrets not bringing actor Sanjay Dutt on board for "Total Dhamaal", the upcoming entertainer in the "Dhamaal" franchise.

At the trailer launch of the film on Monday, when Kumar was asked why Sanjay is not seen in the film even though he played a pivotal role in the comedy franchise's last instalment, the director said: "It could have been really fun if Sanjay would have been part of this film, but unfortunately when we were shooting for the film, he did not have dates. Since it is a multi-starrer film, bringing so many big actors together is not easy at all. We both, Sanjay and I are unhappy about it, but we regret it."

In the film "Double Dhamaal", Sanjay played Kabir Nayak. The three main actors of the film Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi and Javed Jaffrey remain the same in the new instalment.

"Total Dhamaal" also features Madhuri Dixit Nene, Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Boman Irani, Sanjay Mishra and Johnny Lever among others. It is slated to release on February 22.