Actor Manoj Bajpayee said that people often told him that he isn't good looking to his face. He said that he broke out in the film industry at a time when there was a firm idea of what a hero should look like, and he felt that he didn't fit that description. In an interview with journalist Barkha Dutt on Mojo Story, he recalled when 'a very famous heroine' during his struggle days once told him, "Manoj, I don't find you good looking." But the actor said that he didn't take offence to this because this idea was already so ingrained in him. To the point that when director Shyam Benegal cast him in the film Zubeidaa, Manoj was taken aback, and asked the filmmaker if he's sure. Manoj felt that he didn't fit the bill of a prince. "Good looks are always defined by the way heroes look in our cinema," Manoj said. "This is where I'm always thankful to Shyam Benegal. He made the decision to cast me in Zubeidaa, and I went to him to ask him, 'Why are you doing this? Don't cast me as a prince, I don't look like a prince.' And he looked at me, and said, 'Why do you say that?'" Manoj admitted that he was 'very under-confident', but isn't anymore, because of 'the journey' that he has had. "In life, I was very under-confident, but on stage, it was the opposite," he said. The actor also recalled director Yash Chopra telling him honestly that he probably wouldn't cast him in a film again after Veer-Zara, because he felt that Manoj didn't fit in the kind of cinema that he made. Manoj said that he found the late director's frankness adorable, and much preferable to dishonesty. #InsideOutWithBarkhaDutt Episode 6 ft @BajpayeeManoj Premieres tonight at 8.30pm. Watch full Episode here: pic.twitter.com/ISjpSvWFA3 — Mojo Story (@themojostory) April 4, 2023 Manoj is now arguably at the peak of his fame and success, having starred in several acclaimed roles, and most recently, headlining the hit Prime Video series The Family Man.
