As Bhanu Tripathi in Aap Jaisa Koi (2025), Satwinder Steve Dhillon in Kohrra (2023), Shekhawat in Aarya (2020-2024) - Manish Chaudhari is on a roll. Boasting of a career spanning three decades, the actor has built a body of work which made him a "bankable" star on the streaming giants. In Aryan Khan's Netflix directorial debut The Ba***ds Of Bollywood, the actor plays a producer. Ahead of the release, Manish Chaudhari speaks to NDTV about Aryan Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and if he has any reservations about giving auditions.
Shah Rukh Khan Calls Him A "Nice" Producer
Describing his character in Shah Rukh Khan's lingo, Manish Chaudhari tells NDTV (with a meaningful smile), "Shah Rukh Sir calls me a "nice producer". I met him a couple of times during the shoot. It was always inspiring to meet him. I was extremely happy to have him close by on two or three occasions on set."
When asked how it feels being directed by a debutant after working for 30 years in the industry, Manish Chaudhari says he feels "glad" as the new generation is still interested in casting him.
"It feels great to work with debutants. The new-age directors are coming to the fore. A lot of directors, I have worked in the last 4-5 years, have been in their mid-20s or mid-30s. Time has changed, stories have changed, so has the way of telling stories. The new generation brings in fresh ideas. I am glad that this generation is interested in casting me. It's important to be relevant as an actor across as many generations as possible," he tells us.
Did Aryan Ask For Too Many Retakes?
At the preview launch of The Ba***ds Of Bollywood, Bobby Deol playfully said that Aryan asked for many retakes. When asked if Manish Chaudhari had a similar experience, the actor says, "I mean, there's a process of shooting a series or a film. Retakes are a part of the process. There's nothing unusual about it. Everybody does it. So did Aryan as a director."
Is Manish Chaudhari Open For Auditions?
In recent times, many senior actors made news for their aversion to giving auditions. Pavitra Rishta actor Usha Nadkarni even blasted filmmaker Zoya Akhtar in a recent interview when the veteran actor was asked to audition for a role in the 2019 film Gully Boy.
When we ask Manish Chaudhari if he auditioned for Aryan's show, he tells us, "They approached me. I read a scene or two with him. That was that. Well, if somebody wants to read with me to find out what I could bring even after looking at my body of work, I wouldn't mind.
"If someone wants to read with me how I would sound in a particular role before casting me, I won't have a problem with that. Actually, the body of work is very strong now. So, nobody really asks me for an audition now. I am lucky that way. My work has made an impact, it has resonated with the directors or producers where they directly cast me in the characters they want me to do."
The Ba***ds Of Bollywood is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and was officially announced on February 3, 2025. The show is co-created by Bilal Siddiqi and Manav Chauhan, who also share writing credits with Aryan. The show boasts of an impressive cast including Bobby Deol, Lakshya, Sahher Bambba​, Mona Singh​, Anya Singh​, Raghav Juyal​, Gautami Kapoor​, Manoj Pahwa.
The series will release on Netflix on September 18.
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