John Abraham to play gangster in `Shoot Out At Wadala`

John is stepping into the grey zone with his character of a dreaded gangster of 70s in `Shoot Out At Wadala`.

New Delhi: After playing a cop in Nishikant Kamath`s `Force`, John Abraham is stepping into the grey zone with his character of a dreaded gangster of 70s in `Shoot Out At Wadala`.

The film also marks Sanjay Gupta`s return to direction after a gap of four years. The director is known for making action-thrillers like `Kaante`, `Musafir`, `Zinda`, `Shootout at Lokhandwala`. Gupta says the dramatic thriller about the gangster Manya Surve will see John go through a major transformation. "Story of Manya Surve needs a good actor. Also, there is a certain physicality to this character. John will go through a massive transformation," said Gupta, who last directed John in `Zinda`. "John would be seen in a different light altogether as this character would grow from the 60s, establish itself in the 70s and then eventually reach its culmination in the early 80s. John has never played a role like this before." The actor is known for his sophisticated image onscreen but Gupta is confident that he will pull the role of a desi gangster with equal ease. "Shahrukh started off with a `Baazigar`. Anil Kapoor was seen in a new light after `Tezaab`, Sanjay Dutt got further acclaim as an actor for `Vaastav`, Saif was hailed furthermore as an actor after `Omkara`. All negative roles. This is a trend that you cannot ignore," said Gupta. A co-production of Ekta Kapoor and Sanjay Gupta, `Shoot Out At Wadala` is produced by Anil Kapoor and goes on floors in December and would be ready for release in late 2012. PTI