Manoj Bajpayee says he was heartbroken after Ram Gopal Varma went back on his promise to cast him as Satya’s lead: ‘He lied’

Manoj Bajpayee said that Ram Gopal Varma sprung from his seat when he told him that he played Maan Singh in Bandit Queen.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | May 19, 2023 04:33 PM IST

3 min read

Ram Gopal Varma directed Manoj Bajpayee starrer Satya. (Photo: Ram Gopal Varma/ Twitter)

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Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee, who gained popularity following the success of Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya, has revealed that he was initially left disappointed after RGV broke his promise of offering him the lead role in the film. The actor also mentioned that RGV had been searching for him for five years after being impressed by his performance in Bandit Queen.

On an episode of Cyrus Says, Manoj said, “A guy told me that Ramu (RGV) is looking for a main henchman for the Paresh Rawal gang. So I went. It was my turn to meet Ramu and I went inside and he told me to sit. He asked ‘So what have you done?’ I said ‘I have done a film with Mahesh Bhatt, played a significant part, and I have done Bandit Queen. That rang the bell for him because he was a big big fan of Bandit Queen. He has seen the film more than 3-4 times (sic).”

The actor said that RGV did not believe he played the role of Maan Singh in the film. “He asked which role I have done and I said Maan Singh. He literally sprung up from his seat and said ‘you don’t look like Maan Singh you are too young and good looking for Maan Singh.’” Manoj said.

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On that day, RGV told Manoj about Satya and told him not to do the film Daud. RGV told Manoj, “I can’t believe I have been looking for you since five years. Don’t do this film. I was looking for you all of these years and I have a film for you as a lead. I want to keep you for that, don’t do anything else.” After the completion of Daud, director RGV finalized the script for Satya. However, when Manoj received a call, he was offered the role of the second guy instead of the lead role, which deeply saddened him.

Manoj said, “He called me and said I want you to play the second guy. I was heartbroken. He lied. I felt what is the use? He said come over. I went to his house and he said you know that I can cast anyone for the lead but I need someone who has a great personality, great presence in front of the camera for Biku Mhatre.” Manoj mentioned that he received applause from everyone after his shots, and a crowd would gather to watch his shooting. Satya, which was released in 1998, starred JD Chakravarthy, Urmila Matondkar and Saurabh Shukla among others.

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