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Rajpal Yadav was sure Ram Gopal Varma was going to fire him for crossing the line in front of Ajay Devgn, Manisha Koirala

Rajpal Yadav recalled the terror he felt after a conversation with Ram Gopal Varma.

Rajpal Yadav recalls asking Ram Gopal Varma for a lead role. (Photo: Rajpal Yadav/Instagram)

Actor Rajpal Yadav gained recognition after appearing in a small part in the 1999 film Shool. But, it was only after his 2000 film Jungle that his career trajectory truly changed. Jungle continued his collaboration with filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who went on to cast him in Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya, and Company, among others. In a new interview, Rajpal Yadav recalled an interesting anecdote from the sets of Company, when he thought that he would be removed from the film for crossing a line.

Speaking to Rajshri Unplugged, Rajpal Yadav said, “We were shooting for Company in Hong Kong. This was kind of my first professional tour. We were sitting on the terrace of InterContinental. Ram Gopal Varma has this habit of pulling people’s leg. He randomly told me, ‘Rajpal, now that you have become a star, you won’t sign a film with us.’ I was like, ‘What?’. He repeated himself. I was like, ‘Sir, you were the one who gave me Jungle, you are the one who gave me Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya and now you have also cast me in Company. And I am very sure that if ever you will come across a script that will fit me as its lead, you will definitely offer it to me.'”

He added, “After this statement, everybody went quiet. Ajay Devgn, Manisha Koirala, Vivek Oberoi, Antara Mali, all of them were sitting there with us. Nobody spoke a word for a while. Sometime later, Manisha said, ‘I like his confidence.'”

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“At this point, the cameraman came and said, ‘Sir, shot is ready.’ All this while, they were joking, and after my statement, they all became serious. I got scared. I thought I crossed the line. I was even wondering if I’d be removed from the film. I started overthinking, ‘Why did I end up saying I want to be the main lead? I am a supporting actor’,” said Rajpal Yadav.

Rajpal continued, “Nobody spoke of it that night. The next day, Ram Gopal Varma was shooting at the airport, he saw me and said, ‘Rajpal, come, come’, I thought this was it, he is firing me. I went to him. He told me, ‘Rajpal, I couldn’t sleep the whole night due to your confidence. Can you suggest some scripts to me?’ This was the happiest day of my life and I went behind the airport near the smoking zone and silently screamed in happiness.”

After this, Rajpal went to Canada to shoot for The Hero for two months. After Company released, the actor called up Ram Gopal Varma. Recalling his call with the filmmaker, Rajpal Yadav said, “He simply asked, ‘Where are you?’ I said, ‘I am in Canada’. He then asked when I would return, and I told him. Soon after I returned to India, I didn’t care to rest, I went and met him at Filmistan, where they were shooting for Road. As soon as I met him, Ram Gopal Varma told me, ‘We are making a film, Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hu, and Chandan Arora will direct. You and Antra Mali will star in the film.”

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Rajpal was recently seen in the film Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, where he reprised one of his most iconic characters, Chota Pandit.

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