Manoj Bajpayee will reach a milestone of 100 films in the Hindi film industry with the release of his upcoming action flick Bhaiyya Ji on May 24. During a recent interaction, the actor recalled his early days in the industry and shared how he was paid a mere Rs 35,000 for his first film, Bandit Queen. Manoj also spoke about how he landed the role in Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya, which put him on the map.
Speaking to Bollywood Bubble, the actor said, “I got my first film while doing theatre, and that was Bandit Queen. I got paid something around Rs 35,000 to Rs 50,000, and in Drohkaal I had a small role because by the time I approached the film’s director Govind Nihalani, all the major roles were taken. Since I wanted to work with the director, I took up the small role and was paid Rs 2,000 for it.”
After the success of Bandit Queen, Manoj Bajpayee shared that he went to meet Ram Gopal Varma through a friend for a role in his film Daud. However, when he met the filmmaker, he realized that RGV had been searching for him for years after being impressed by his performance in Bandit Queen.
Sharing the anecdote, Manoj said, “He refused to believe that I played the role of Man Singh. He said, ‘You are so young.’ I told him I played the character, I had grown a beard for it. He told me that he had been searching for me for many years because he really liked my presence in the film. He said, ‘I always thought that I would make my next film on the Mumbai mafia with you.’ I was trying so hard to find you. At that time, it was very difficult to search for someone. Telephones weren’t that reliable, and mobiles were just coming. He thought of me for Satya after watching my performance in Bandit Queen.”
Manoj Bajpayee is currently busy with the promotions of his much-anticipated film Bhaiyya Ji, which features him as a desi action hero. It is directed by Apoorv Singh Karki.
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