Surprise, surprise! Aamir Khan, who is known to choose his films after much deliberation, has just signed another film.

Departing from his one-film-every-three-years unofficial policy Aamir will be doing director Kunal Kohli's film, his third after "The Rising" by Ketan Mehta and "Rang De Basanti" by Rakesh Mehra.

While the other two films have the potential to take Aamir to an international audience, Kohli's film is apparently a straightforward love story, just like his two previous films - the flop "Mujhse Dosti Karogi" and "Hum Tum", released this year which surprised everyone by turning into a success.

For better or for worse, Aamir has acquired the label of Mr Exclusive. So much so that he reportedly kept John Matthew Mathan on hold for almost a year before he finally said no to the director's second venture.

After "Lagaan", Aamir claimed the first film he'd sign would be the project he was committed to do for AB Corp Ltd. But he signed Ketan Mehta's "The Rising" for a staggering Rs.70 million.

Then suddenly there was Rakesh Mehra, last visible in the cinemas with his much-hyped but finally unsuccessful "Aks", who signed Aamir for "Rang De Basanti" in English and Hindi.

For an actor like Aamir what could be the reason to pick a film by Kohli, and that too as his third project in a year?

That fact that Kohli's film is being produced by the prestigious Yash Chopra banner could have influenced Aamir's unexpected decision.

Many years ago, Chopra had offered Aamir "Darr". It was the role that Shah Rukh Khan finally did and which carried him to a new level in his career.

Aamir had said no because apparently Chopra had refused to give him a joint narration of the script along with the film's other leading man Sunny Deol.

It seems a little harsh to presume that Aamir chooses projects where he can have the final say. But yes, he has repeatedly said in the past that he likes to offer creative collaborative inputs if and when directors want them.