Manoj Bajpayee isn't used to stardom like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman, Ajay Devgn: ‘Now I find it claustrophobic’

Manoj Bajpayee said that he has been focusing on his work and isn't habituated to emotional reactions from fans.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee has opened up about his "conscious choice" not to pursue stardom, adding that he now feels claustrophobic when surrounded by new fans. Speaking with Bollywood Bubble, Manoj compared his fame to Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, and Ajay Devgn's stardom.

Manoj Bajpayee will be next seen in Raam Reddy's Jugnuma (The Fable).

Manoj Bajpayee talks about not being accustomed to fans' adulation

Manoj said that he has been focusing on his work and isn't habituated to emotional reactions from fans. "I have been working. I have never gotten into a space where people are chasing me, or following me, or asking for—or, you know, they are just crying looking at you. I’ve never had those kinds of reactions coming from the audience. I’ve been doing my work. Some of them went through the roof. Some of them were middle-range, some stayed under the radar... So, since my path was not something which would lead to so-called stardom—and it was a conscious choice—I was fine doing those films," he said.

Manoj opens up about SRK, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan

He said that, in the last few years, because of OTT, he has been seen in varied roles and genres. Manoj added, "When I’m surrounded by new fans now, I find it claustrophobic because this is not what I’m used to. Look, Salman, Saif, Ajay, Shah Rukh, Aamir—they are used to it. They got their stardom at the age of 25, 26, right? They don’t even know what it is to be without fans. I am used to having no fans. So I find it too much—too much interference into my privacy.”

About Manoj's next project

Fans will see Manoj in Jugnuma (The Fable), directed by Raam Reddy. Set in the late 80s, Jugnuma follows Dev (Manoj), who discovers mysteriously burnt trees in his sprawling estate of fruit orchards nestled in the Indian Himalayas. Despite all efforts, more fires break out, leading him to see himself and his family for who they truly are, according to the press note shared by the makers.

The film also stars Tillotama Shome, Deepak Dobariyal, Priyanka Bose, Awan Pookot and Hiral Sidhu in the lead roles. Jugnuma saw a nationwide release in cinemas on September 12. It is presented by Guneet Monga and Anurag Kashyap.