Manoj Bajpayee reveals how much he earned for his first film, started charging thrice that amount in six years

Manoj Bajpayee has struggled his way to the top, first breaking out as a gangster with Ram Gopal Varma's Satya in 1998 which set things in motion for the actor.

Manoj Bajpayee responds after netizen compares him with Pankaj Tripathi, Rajpal Yadav, Vikrant Massey. (Photo: Manoj Bajpayee/Instagram)

Actor Manoj Bajpayee, whose latest film Bhaiyya Ji is currently in theatres, recently spoke about his early days in the movies and revealed how much money he made for his first film role. Manoj first appeared in Shekhar Kapur’s dacoit drama Bandit Queen in 1994 in a supporting role. In the same year, Manoj also appeared in a film called Drohkal.

In an interview with Mashable Middle East, Manoj Bajpayee was asked about his first paycheck. The actor was preparing aalo bhujiya inside chef Ranveer Brar’s restaurant kitchen on the show, when he answered the question instantly and said, “It was Rs 50,000 for Bandit Queen. After six years, I did a film, I am not going to name it, but I got Rs 1,50,000.”

Also Read | Manoj Bajpayee says he doesn’t understand Christopher Nolan films as he struggles with concept of time, physics: ‘Maybe I would’ve understood Oppenheimer better’

The actor has steadily risen over the decades since his debut in the 90s. When he broke out as a gangster with Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya in 1998, Manoj Bajpayee became a household name. But before he achieved a popular status, Bajpayee had to struggle his way to the top.

Talking about his fee, Bajpayee had previously shared how his fee from a TV show he had landed–directed by Anubhav Sinha– was sliced in half, as the producer felt he had no dialogues as a mute character and didn’t deserve the full payment of Rs 4,000 per day. The actor had recalled how in those days, they used to stand in a queue to be paid Rs 100 at the end of the shoot for conveyance, which was a significant amount.

But after four months when he went to collect his fee, the producer wondered why he was getting Rs 4,000. “I said you people only fixed it. He said I should only get Rs 2,000. I asked why? He said that payment is for dialogues, where are your dialogues? Anubhav never told me you have no dialogues,” he had said in an interview with The Lallantop.

Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.