The ‘”Bhaiyya Ji” actor, Manoj Bajpayee recalled his days of struggle and strife with the Bollywood King, Shahrukh Khan.
In a recent interview with Galatta India, Bajpayee revealed that they both used to work in Barry John’s theatre group in Delhi. The “Veer-Zara” duo was struggling TO FIND financial stability while establishing themselves as actors.
Sharing anecdotes of their camaraderie amidst struggles, Bajpayee said, “When you are in a theatre group, and someone is smoking, they would never smoke alone. No one would smoke one cigarette all by themselves because no one could afford it. So if anyone had one cigarette, they had to share it with four people.”
He said sharing a cigarette was a common ritual as nobody could afford to smoke alone. “Even if he had the money to buy a pack of cigarette, or buy one cigarette, he couldn’t afford it alone because others have shared it with him in the past and now it’s his turn to share it,” added Bajpayee.
Talking more about his companionship and bond with Khan, The “Family Man” fame said he worked in the theatre company for quite a few years, while Khan left in a few months. Shahrukh Khan moved to Mumbai to kickstart his Bollywood career and Manoj Bajpayee stayed back until his appearance in ‘Bandit Queen’.
The veteran actor’s 100th film, “Bhaiyya Ji”, was released on May 24 in cinemas.