Politicians And Their Look-Alikes

What if you woke up one day, got ready for work, and ran into yourself at the bend of the road? Would you hug your other self, or run? When Poe바카라�s William Wilson finds his double tailing him at boarding school, he jabs a knife into him, only to find he has stabbed himself. When Nabokov바카라�s Despair has a doppelganger switching identities to murder his twin and claim his own life insurance바카라�a foolproof crime till the mind starts playing tricks. Clearly, in literature, meeting your look-alike for coffee is not the brightest idea. But there바카라�s an entire world out there, inhabited by six others who look exac­tly like you바카라�what if at least one has seen you, perhaps in the rabbithole of social media, and earns a living pretending to be you?

Saharanpur바카라�s Abhi­nandan Pathak is a spitting image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ask him about living in the shadow of the Ubermensch바카라�the answers sound straight out of a sci-fi novel. 바카라�If Modiji was Ram, I thought of myself as Laxman,바카라� Pathak says. After 2014, Pathak got his own spree of selfie requests. It바카라�s uncanny바카라�the same shining white hair, the gait seamlessly adopted, the voice perfectly modulated. Passersby do a double-take at 바카라�the PM바카라� addressing a modest crowd, at Jantar Mantar of all places. 바카라�Bhaiyyon or beheno! Kya achhe din aaye?바카라� he asks.

Pathak has switched allegiance to the Congress. Why? 바카라�Life changed after DeMo. I saw people suffering. Some of them vented their anger against Modi on me! I was attacked ­outside ATMs and banks. I couldn바카라�t leave my house,바카라� he recalls. 바카라�I wrote to Modiji multiple times, asking him for protection from mobs. I got no response.바카라� His inner Modi vanished. The outer one is now just a man on the Lucknow train.

Lucknow? Wait바카라�who바카라�s that lady with short-cropped hair, at the Ambedkar Memorial? Meet Sadhna, a 40-year-old employee here. 바카라�People gather near my home and office, shocked to see a carbon copy of Behenji. I always take selfies with whoever wants to,바카라� she says. Sadhna has never met Mayawati, but as a Dalit is 바카라�extremely proud바카라� to be associated with her.

North Calcutta바카라�s Beliaghata, meanwhile, has found its own Didi. White cotton saree with green border, middle-parted hair in a bun, black leather watch on left wrist, hawai chappal바카라�Didi 2.0 ensures no detail is missing. 바카라�Ki Didi, abar cinema바카라�r shooting hobe naki?바카라� (바카라�Are you off for yet another film shoot?바카라�), ask a few middle-aged men basking in the winter sun, sipping tea. Pat comes the reply: 바카라�Hyan re. Toder dekhar ichche achhe naki?바카라� (바카라�Yes, want to watch?바카라�).

A small-time actress, Ruma Chakraborty found her calling while ­auditioning for a film in 2009. Soon, she found herself signing up to play Mamata in a biopic. 바카라�I tried to live like Didi, talk and walk like her바카라�her character got into my skin,바카라� she says. Her husband Sugato says she now 바카라�unconsciously acts like Mamata Banerjee바카라�, and has found her self-confidence. The film got shelved, but her own life-story opened up. 바카라�I was offered ano­ther film on Didi, Baghini. It바카라�s releasing on April 15. I바카라�ve also played her in a jatra,바카라� says Ruma. She also impersonates Mamata for local TMC leaders at neighbourhood events. 바카라�Once my ­husband and I were stuck in traffic in central Calcutta when a constable ­approached our car, saw us, and immediately cleared the road,바카라� she laughs. 바카라�I바카라�ve met Didi only once, but I바카라�ve learnt she keeps track of the mediums on which I portray her.바카라�  

By Arshia Dhar with Probir Pramanik in Calcutta