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Manoj Bajpayee admits he was 'never considered for high-society roles' except in few films; says, 'No director could think of me as a rich guy'
Manoj Bajpayee recently highlighted how he isn't offered 'rich guy' roles barring in a few movies including Zubeidaa, Veer Zaara, and Gulmohar. Scroll down to read more.
Manoj Bajpayee, who was last seen in Apoorv Singh Karki's film, Bhaiyya Ji, is among the most talented actors in Hindi cinema. Bajpayee bagged his breakthrough role as gangster Bhiku Mhatre in Ram Gopal Varma's 1998 film Satya. The versatile actor has played various roles in films; be it a cop in Shool or a dacoit in Sonchiriya and many more. However, he has never been considered for 'high-society roles' in movies except in a few films. We aren't saying this, Bajpayee recently expressed while claiming that no director could think of him as a rich guy.
In a new interview with the Bombay Times, Manoj Bajpayee shared how he has been stereotyped in films and hasn't been offered rich roles, barring Zubeidaa, Veer-Zaara, and Gulmohar. Speaking about Zubeidaa, Bajpayee stated that director Shyam Benegal's conviction was the reason he was offered the role of a king in the 2001 film. The actor added that the filmmaker felt that the real Maharajas looked normal and weren't Greek gods.
Referring to his role in Veer-Zaara, Manoj Bajpayee shared that he played a Pakistani politician in Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta-starrer. Late director Yash Chopra, who decided to cast him in the 2004 movie after watching the 2003 film, Pinjar, was "adamant" that Bajpayee shot two scenes in it. The Bhaiyya Ji actor further said that those filmmakers had a "vision which stems from seeing life up close".
Bajpayee continued, "The roles that I portrayed were mostly set in middle-class and lower-middle-class stories. I am never considered for high-society roles. No director could think of me as a rich guy, barring the two stalwarts that I mentioned. This stereotyping exists."
Earlier, in an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla Masterclass, Manoj Bajpayee spilled the beans about rejecting commercial movies in his career. Revealing the reason, Bajpayee shared that the actor refused them as he was only being offered villain (negative) roles in them. The Gangs of Wasseypur star admitted that he was clear about picking movies that had a "story," and that's why he continued doing such films.
Bajpayee has also worked in movies like Aks, Rajneeti, Aligarh, LOC Kargil, Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, and others.
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