"You destroyed Veer and Zaara's life."
Manoj Bajpayee recalled an angry criticism he received regarding Veer-Zaara (2004).
The actor played Raza Sharazi – the fiancee of Zaara Hayaat Khan (Preity Zinta).
Raza becomes incensed when he discovers Zaara’s love for Veer Pratap Singh (Shah Rukh Khan).
However, not everyone appreciated Manoj’s character in the film.
Manoj shared an incident where a woman approached him and openly criticised his role.
He said: “A lady came up to me and said, ‘You did such a negative thing. You destroyed Veer and Zaara’s life’.
“I said, ‘Wow. You are not looking from [Raza]’s perspective. He is engaged. His to-be wife is going around with another man. And you are hating me? This is great morality! These are great ethics!’
“I was doing it considering that my to-be wife is engaging in an extramarital.
“How would one tolerate? Would a lady tolerate if her man engages in an extramarital?
“If not, why would the man have a problem too?
“When I am given a role, I think from the character’s perspective. Then I will be able to make it believable.
“That’s how my thought process was while approaching the role. For me, Shah Rukh was the villain.
“For Raza, Shah Rukh was a bad man. Since Raza was powerful, he could trap them.
“If he was not powerful, he would commit suicide somewhere, right?
“Or he would spend the rest of his life as Devdas. A man does whatever he can, in his own limits.”
Manoj Bajpayee also praised director Yash Chopra, who had previously worked with SRK in Darr (1993) and Dil Toh Pagal Hai (1997).
He explained: “The way he respected me on set, till date, I tell other producers that one should be like Yash Chopra.
“From the first day, he never made me feel like I was just there for a guest appearance.
“He made me feel like me and Shah Rukh were on equal footing in the film.”
“He gave me so much respect.
“Yash Ji used to say, ‘Son, this will happen now because I don’t know when I’ll work with you. I don’t make films for actors like you’.”
Veer-Zaara was a massive success in 2004. Although his role in the film was brief, the film remains a highlight in Manoj’s filmography.
On the work front, Manoj Bajpayee will next be seen in Bhaiyya Ji. It is scheduled to be released on May 24, 2024.
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