Drug lord Pablo Escobar inspires Manoj Bajpai

Though he’s playing Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Sabir in Shootout At Wadala, Manoj Bajpai’s entire look in the film has been modelled on Pablo Escobar, the Colombian drug lord who was killed gruesomely in 1993. The resemblance to the notorious crime-lord is so uncanny that director Sanjay Gupta claims one can switch pictures of Escobar with Bajpai’s Wadala look without anyone being able to tell the difference. Escobar’s look, we may add, has been the source of inspiration for generations of Columbian youngsters. How Manoj came to assume Escobar’s physical appearance is interesting. Apparently no clear picture of Sabir’s look was available. Rather than going by hazy portraits Gupta and Bajpai decided to give the character a completely new look. Says Bajpai, “Sanjay Gupta chose the look for my character. I went completely by Gupta’s decision on how to okay it. There’s a never a dull moment while shooting with Sanjay Gupta.” Manoj admits he doesn’t have the central role in Shootout At Wadala. But is happy being peripheral. “I am past that stage where I want to constantly be seen on screen. If in Gangs Of Wasseypur I am the central character, then in a film that I’ve just accepted I play an important part. But the central character is an 18-year old boy. So for me, the entire picture is far more important than my character.” Manoj says his attitude to his career changed 4 years ago when he had a back problem. “I realized nothing is more important than your health and that we all have to go sooner or later. So why not enjoy the time given to us?”