/> Here is an utterly interesting bit of casting that bears an uncanny resemblance to Salman Khan's Chulbul Pandey to begin with. Then the plot thickens.

Arjun Rampal hungry for opportunities to play characters that take him away from the city sophisticate is all set to play a cop in a dusty backward town of Uttar Pradesh.

If that role sounds like Salman Khan's Chulbul Pandey in Dabangg, the resemblance is purely coincidental. Arjun is taking no chances. He had the role turned inside-out so that it became an antithesis of Salman's Chulbul.

For the rough-and-tough realistic cop's role in a new film Arjun Rampal is taking time off. But hang on. He won't just be learning to shoot straight. He will be learning the finer points and nuances of Hindustani classical music.

The character of the cop in Jai Ramji which starts shooting in a month is based on a real cop from Allahabad. And neo-realistic director Tigmanshu Dhulia won't let Arjun fake it. Arjun will have to meet the cop and understand what makes him unique.

Says Tigmanshu, "The man is incredible. He is not only a super-capable police officer he's also a connoisseur of French wines and Hindustani classical music. He can nab a criminal as swiftly as he can identify a Thumri or Dadra. "

Arjun will head for Allahabad next month to meet the real-life character and to get savvy about the nuances of classical music. French wine, Arjun already knows how to recognize. It pays to have a sophisticated wife at home.

The idea, in case one has missed the point, is to create a cop who is the antithesis of Salman Khan's Chulbul Pandey in Dabangg.

According to a source, Arjun was to originally play the typical small-time boorish North-Indian cop with his khaki shirt open to his naval and his gun half out of his holster.

Apparently Arjun and the director decided to take the cop's character the other way.

Reasons Dhulia, "Why must we always presume that small-town cops from North India are like Chulbul Pandey? I know so many civil servants in UP who are suave worldly- wise literate and erudite.

Arun's character of the cop is as much into aesthetics and arts as he is into nabbing hardcore criminals. I want him to spend at least two weeks in preparation. I don't want him just wear khaki and behave like a filmy cop. "

Arjun is game. He learnt to play rock music for Rock On. He is now eager to go Hindustani on his musical journey.