‘I told Sanjay Leela Bhansali I want to play Devdas’: Manoj Bajpayee reveals he turned down Chunilal’s role in Devdas

Manoj Bajpayee said that he, too, was offered the role of Chunilal in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas, starring Shah Rukh Khan. His revelation comes weeks after Shekhar Suman made similar claims.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: May 30, 2024 03:02 PM IST

3 min read

Manoj Bajpayee opened up on his desire to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee said that he has no regrets about having turned down any project in his career, nor has any film turned down by him done exceedingly well commercially. Except one: Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s 2002 period drama Devdas. He said that he backed out of the film because he had always harboured a desire to play the titular role of Devdas, which eventually went to Shah Rukh Khan. Recently, actor Shekhar Suman also said that he was offered the role of Chunilal, which ultimately went to Jackie Shroff.

In an interview with Sushant Sinha on YouTube, the actor was asked if he has ever rejected a movie that went on to become a big hit, and he said an emphatic no. “Yes, I was offered Jackie Shroff’s role in Devdas, but I immediately said no. I told Sanjay, ‘Sanjay, yaar, meri toh hamesha se ichchha thi Devdas karne ki (I always wanted to play Devdas). That film became a superhit, but I have regrets about letting it go. I’d wanted to play Devdas since my theatre days, ever since I’d watched Dilip Kumar’s film, or read the book. But I never felt bad,” he said.

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Recently, during the promotions of the streaming series Heeramandi, Shekhar Suman also spoke about being forced to turn down the role of Chunilal because of his busy schedule. He said that he was occupied with his talk show, Movers and Shakers, at the time. “It’s my privilege that Sanjay Leela Bhansali gave me work. He selected me for a pivotal role in Heeramandi, I am doing that currently. Long ago, he had offered me the role of Chunnilal in Devdas but I couldn’t do that at that time. Then Jackie Shroff was cast in the role and it’s good that he did that role. But I had that regret in my life that I couldn’t work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali but my wish has been granted in Heeramandi,” he told Instant Bollywood.

Starring SRK, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai, Devdas was a major hit. The movie also broke barriers overseas, having premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and earned a BAFTA nomination in the Best Film Not in the English Language category.

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