Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee shared that Yash Chopra was very honest when he cast him in Veer Zara. The director also admitted that he won’t have any more roles for him.
Working with filmmaker Yash Chopra
Veer Zaara will always remain one of the most iconic romantic classics of Yash Chopra. With Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta in the lead, the surprising part was presumably the casting of Manoj Bajpayee in the film. In a recent interview, Manoj Bajpayee spoke at length about his experience working with Yash Chopra on set.
The Bollywood actor disclosed that his role as Raza Sharazi was more of a cameo and that he hardly spent four or five days on set. Manoj said that, like the rest of the cast, Yash welcomed him to the set. He even said that the sets gave him a royal welcome. When the renowned filmmaker and politician Lal Krishna Advani watched the 2003 movie Pinjar together in Delhi, they were particularly impressed by Manoj’s performance.
Manoj’s conversation with Mr. Chopra
Manoj recalled his conversation with Yash Chopra in an interview with Humans of Bombay.
“We grew up watching his films! We used to chat for a long, both Yash ji and me. He was very clear in telling me, ‘I don’t make films for an actor like you, so I don’t think I would have anything else in the future, but this is very good and it will be great if you agree to do it.’ He was such a humble man,” he said.
He also spoke about how the film gave him a chance to work with his old friend Shah Rukh Khan. “Shah Rukh, I have known for many years from my days in Delhi, so it was also a chance to catch up. Because we don’t meet up, we belong to two different kinds of films and filmmaking. So, it was a chance to catch up with him and also enjoy being on the sets of Mr. Yash Chopra, who had been such a magnificent, successful mainstream director for so many years,” Manoj said.
SRK portrayed the Pakistani woman he falls in love with, Zaara, in the love story, and Preity Zinta played the Indian Air Force pilot Veer.
Here’s the full interview:
Meanwhile, Manoj was last seen in the Disney+ Hotstar film, Gulmohar, with Sharmila Tagore, Simran, and Suraj Sharma. He also has the films Despatch and Joram lined up for the year.
