Manoj Bajpayee returned to his chawl 6 months later, saw 10 people living there: 'One was Tigmanshu Dhulia'

Actor Manoj Bajpayee recalled his days as a struggling actor when he used to stay in a chawl with 10 other aspirants who wanted to work in Bollywood. He said that Tigmanshu Dhulia and Vijay Krishna Acharya were two of his roommates at the time.

Manoj Bajpayee, who is originally from Bihar, came to Mumbai from Delhi. While the actor hadn't studied at any big acting institution, he had several years of experience doing theatre in Delhi. However, when he came to Mumbai in the 1990s, he had to wait a while before getting his big break with Satya (1998). It was during this time that he recalled living in a Mumbai chawl with 10 other film industry hopefuls at a time.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee will next be seen in the Disney+ Hotstar film Gulmohar. (AFP)

The actor had come to Mumbai with other friends from Delhi, some of whom were actors and others who were writers or directors. He had done small roles in films like Drohkaal (1994) and Bandit Queen (1994). Tigmanshu Dhulia was the casting director of the Shekhar Kapur film. Manoj also did a few television serials like Kalakaar, Imtihaan and Swabhimaan to keep acting.

In an interview with Mashable India, the actor talked about his days of struggle and how he felt disheartened. He shared, "There was frustration that you are not getting work when you know your job. Other than that, it was great that all the friends used to meet often, sit together, read, [and] practise. My whole day was busy. [I used to live] in a chawl with two people, after I came back after six months, I saw that at least 10 people were sleeping there. Tigmanshu Dhulia was one of them. Victor [Vijay Krishna Acharya] who had made Dhoom had also spent most of his time there."

With Ram Gopal Varma's Satya, Manoj's performance as Bhiku Mhatre launched his career. He also won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor as well as Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. Manoj and Tigmanshu reunited again in Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur films in 2012.

His notable roles came in Chakravyuh (2012), Special 26 (2013), Aligarh (2016). The actor won his second National Film Award, this time for Best Actor with the film Bhonsle in 2019.

He is known for his role as an undercover Indian intelligence agent Srikant Tiwari in Prime Video's web series The Family Man. Manoj will next be seen with Sharmila Tagore and Simran in the family drama Gulmohar which is releasing on March 3 on Disney+ Hotstar.