20 Years After Satya, Manoj Bajpayee Reveals Why He Didn't Want To Play Bhiku

New Delhi:

20 years after the release of 1998 film Satya, actor Manoj Bajpayee, who played the role of a gangster named Bhiku Mhatre in the film, revealed that initially he was not very happy about playing that role and that he wanted to play the titular role in Satya (which went to JD Chakravarthy). However, he later realised that the character that he portrayed onscreen was in fact best-suited for him, reports news agency PTI. "Initially it was a deal that I would be playing the title role but he (film's director Ram Gopal Varma) said 'I don't need an actor for the title role, I need someone who has a great presence.' I was very sad that he doesn't think I have presence. I now thank God, he gave me the right role to work on," PTI quoted him as saying.

Though Manoj Bajpayee is praised for his acting prowess in the film even today but the actor had a totally different notion about his performance when he was filming Satya. In the interview with PTI, the 49-year-old actor also revealed that he was apprehensive about his performance in the film. "Everybody used to feel so excited about my performance but I wasn't sure if we are doing it right. That feeling of unsureness was always looming large because no one of the film industry was making this kind of a film," Manoj said.

Satya is a crime-drama, which also features Urmila Matondkar, Saurabh Shukla and Shefali Shah. Satya was critically acclaimed for its realistic depiction of the Indian underworld. The film's song tracks also received massive praise and songs such as Goli Maar and Sapne Mein remain extremely popular, even today.

Manoj Bajpayee is best known for his performances in films such as Gangs Of Wasseypur, Bandit Queen, Raajneeti and Aligarh among others.

Manoj Bajpayee awaits the release of Satyameva Jayate, co-starring John Abraham. He also has Love Sonia, In the Shadows and Sonchiriya in the pipeline.

(With inputs from PTI)