The “posture” boy of India, Baba Ramdev, is no less than a phenomenon. He is a global name and counts biggies among his followers. And biting a piece of Ramdev’s famosity is Sanjay Talwar, a Delhi-based ex-bus driver, who drove route number 108 from Nehru Vihar to Hari Nagar Ghanta Ghar for almost two decades.
How? Well he is an exact replica of the yoga king. He even has a twitching eye apart from his mane and a luscious beard.
A resident of Mukherjee Nagar, Talwar is having a dream run. He is doing films, advertisements, music albums and anything that demands him to pose as Ramdev. He also dons the look for neighbourhood birthday parties, weddings, mata ki chowkis and other cultural events. Talwar feels proud about the fact that he has earned a few devotees because of his look. “People of all ages come and touch my feet. Everyone is convinced I’m Baba Ramdev,” says Talwar.
It all started in 2007 when Shah Rukh Khan had come to Mukherjee Nagar to donate money to a child suffering from a liver disease. Like other curious fans, Talwar had also gone to catch a glimpse of the star. That is where he was “spotted” by a television news channel and was then approached to a do an hour-long live show with them.
Soon Kavita Choudhary offered him to play Baba Ramdev in a documentary film on the life and times of Ramdev. Talwar met Ramdev during the shooting and the latter was stunned to see his mirror image in front of him. “Baba Ramdev was shocked to see me. He spoke to me at length and asked me what did I do for a living. I told him I was getting work because of him. Since then we have met on a couple of occasions.”
Talwar remembers once when at gurudwara Rakabganj, Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit was also surprised to realise that he was just a lookalike. “She almost bowed down to touch my feet when she was told that I am not Baba Ramdev. When Anna Hazare was fasting, I went to the Ramlila Maidan in my regular jeans and T-shirts. But people would still come to me asking for blessings,” says Talwar. Talwar will next be seen in director Anil Goyal’s titillatingly titled film Bhai ka Maal Hai. “I don’t want to be Ramdev. I just want a career in the entertainment industry,” he says.