Manoj Bajpayee opens up about not being jealous of Shah Rukh Khan's success, read here

Manoj Bajpayee and Shah Rukh Khan were part of Barry John’s theatre group in Delhi, struggling with their finances while trying to establish themselves as actors. While Shah Rukh Khan achieved superstardom in the late 90s, it took Manoj longer to find success. Despite the differences in their career paths, Manoj holds no bitterness, sharing that while Shah Rukh always aimed to be a star, that was never his goal.


When asked if he felt jealous of Shah Rukh Khan's success, Manoj Bajpayee told Barkha Dutt that, “Shah Rukh Khan always wanted to be loved, to be a star, to be the centre of attention. That was not my target. I was completely okay with not being surrounded by 20 people in my theatre group. I was completely okay with nobody looking at me. I was completely okay with being a fly on the wall," he added.


Bajpayee was asked if Shah Rukh Khan's success affected his confidence. He said, "Your confidence breaks after failure, not because he’s more popular than I am." He also shared how Barry John helped him by giving him small roles in English plays with actors like Divya Seth, Rituraj Singh, and Shah Rukh Khan, instead of judging him for not speaking English well.

Manoj talked about his dynamic with Shah Rukh Khan, saying, “We knew each other, but our friend circles weren’t the same. People have to understand, we come from different worlds." He added, "Even back then, Shah Rukh belonged to a ‘khas duniya’. Just because one studies in Jamia doesn’t make them a regular person. I wasn’t surrounded by 10 people at all times, while Shah Rukh was always charming and surrounded by people."

In an earlier interview, Manoj Bajpayee revealed that while he stayed in Barry John’s theatre group for a few years, Shah Rukh Khan was part of it for only a few months before moving to Mumbai to start his Bollywood career. Manoj also shared that he moved to Mumbai only after working in Shekhar Kapur’s 'Bandit Queen'.