Manoj Bajpayee shares his thoughts on nepotism in the industry, remembers Sushant Singh Rajput

After the untimely passing of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the discussion about outsiders finding it difficult to advance in the industry is once again a topic of discussion. Sushant, who accomplished much in his eight years in the business, was discovered dead at his Bandra, Mumbai, home.

Sushant's passing was shocking and eye-opening for the industry, which for some reason doesn't recognise those who put in a lot of effort. Bajpayee, like Sushant, came to Bollywood from Bihar and got his start in Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen in 1994. Four years later, he gained notoriety for his role in Ram Gopal Varma's cult classic, Satya. 

As the Gangs Of Wasseypur actor is currently busy promoting his upcoming film Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, the actor remembered late Sushant Singh Rajput and also revealed how he was affected by the politics in the industry. 

Manoj claimed to Aaj Tak that because no star kid would make the kinds of films he does, nepotism has never harmed him. He shared, "Nawaz karega, Irrfan hota toh woh karta ya Kaykay Menon karega. These are not commercial films so nobody focuses on them or even puts their money on them. I must thus add that you cannot make this an excuse all the time. Don’t waste your energy. Do theatre, if you are a good actor, you can even earn money by performing on the street."

During the interview, Manoj also revealed that he was personally very affected by the death of SSR. Both the actors worked together in the film Sonchiriya. Manoj said, "We really became close and he had so much love for me. I would often cook mutton on set and he would always come by to eat. We never knew he would take such a drastic step but he had opened up about his challenges to me."

He added, "Industry mein politics humesha hota hai but it gets dirtier as you climb the ladder of success. I never had an issue as I was stubborn and thick-skinned. He wasn’t and thus could not manage the pressure. He had spoken to me about being worried about these things as it affected him." 

The actor also revealed some details when he was asked of if Sushant Singh Rajput was a victim of nepotism. He said, "If you want to be a Manoj Bajpayee, there is no politics. But he wanted to be a star and there’s too much competition there. Anyone who enters the field to be a star would try their best to clinch that position. However, he couldn’t bear the same. I have realised that he was a pure soul and andar se baccha tha. He could not understand the manipulation that was needed."