When Manoj Bajpayee made enemies in Bollywood due to his ‘picky attitude’

Gulmohar actor Manoj Bajpayee recently opened up about his struggling days after the release of Satya. During an interview with Sucharita Tyagi, the actor claimed that he was lauded for his performance in Ram Gopal Verma’s 1998 movie Satya, but he faced trouble finding more work after the film’s release. He claimed that because of his picky attitude, he made a lot of enemies in the industry who had come to him with loads of money.

He added that he did not want to do the kind of work the makers were expecting me to do. “Yes, the money was good. I had no money, and no work, and the biggest producers were coming to me. They came with suitcases full of money, and to say no to it was the toughest task I have ever faced. That was the time when egos were very big. People used to get offended very easily. And with every no, I was making more enemies,” he said.

Manoj also revealed that he got Pinjar and 1971 very late and because of lack of money at home, he had to do filthy films. Adding to the conversation he said by the time he started to get good work, actors like Irrfan Khan and Kay Kay Menon had already made their mark and became filmmakers’ first choices.

During the interview, he also praised Ram Gopal Verma and stated that he owes his career to him. Manoj bagged his first national award for ‘Best Actor in a Supporting Role’ for Satya. He said that the two often talk and RGV gives him ‘gaalis’. He added that Ram scolded him for featuring in the remake version of Sapne Mein Milti Hain. Along with Satya, Manoj has worked with Ram on films such as Kaun and School.

Now, Manoj Bajpayee is one of the leading faces of Indian cinema. He starred in The Family Man and recently shared screen space with Sharmila Tagore in Disney+Hotstar’s film Gulmohar. Directed by Rahul Chittella, the film also features Suraj Sharma, Simran, Kaveri Seth and others.