MUMBAI: Vivek Oberoi is on a role-hunting spree. The latest on the newly-married groom’s career front is a film called Zilla Ghaziabad, where he does his version of the lawless lout, a la Saif Ali Khan’s Salim Langda from Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara.

Oberoi’s outlaw too will have a physical disability to portray. At the moment, however, it is only known that it won’t be Salim Langda’s limp. But it would be a true portrait of the real-life gangster.

In fact the film’s producer, Vinod Bachchan says Zilla Ghaziabad would be shot in Meerut, Indore and Ghaziabad. "Real locations worked for me in Tanu Weds Manu. I’ve decided to make Zilla Ghaziabad completely on location, no sets at all. The film is based on two incidents from the newspapers of North India that my director Anand Kumar picked up."

Oberoi plays a real-life gangster, just like his last role of the outlaw in Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakht Charitra. However, this one is no Robin Hood but a cold-blooded killer.

Oberoi has begun to prepare for the part. He has apparently asked director Anand Kumar for time to study the milieu.

Says the producer, "Vivek doesn’t want his UP bhaiyya-gangster’s role to come out looking shades paler than Saif’s Omkara. He will study the local dialect and get close to the character he is supposed to play."

The role in Zilla Ghaziabad was offered to Sonu Sood first. But apparently it looked too much like Dabangg to Sood and hence he turned it down.

Sood informs, "I did turn down the role in Zilla Ghaziabad. It was a fabulous role of a small-town cop. Since I am already playing a cop in two under-production films I had to turn it down. But it’s really hardhitting and robust script, packing in a whole lot of punch."