Manoj Bajpayee on why he respects Shah Rukh Khan: ‘Saw him lose entire family at young age, then create his own space’

Manoj Bajpayee recalls how Shah Rukh Khan created a space for himself in the film industry after losing his parents at a young age.

Manoj Bajpayee has said that he respects Shah Rukh Khan a lot, especially because he has seen the Bollywood actor lose his ‘entire family and everything’, and then build his own space in the industry.

Manoj is currently gearing up for the release of his next, courtroom drama titled Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai. The film is slated to premiere on ZEE5 on May 26. Directed by Apoorv Singh Karki, the film traces the story of a lawyer, who is fighting against a giant system.

Recalling his friend from their early days in the profession, Manoj told The Lallantop, “Mujhe bahut khushi hoti hain usko uss mukaam pe dekh ke, jiss tarah ke duniya usne khadi ki apne liye. Ek vyakti jiska pura duniya ujadh chuka that. 26 saal ke umar mein aur uska pura parivaar ja chuka tha, phir usne apni duniya khadi . Parivaar apna create kiya, apne liye itna bada naam, izaat banaya (I feel very happy to see Shah Rukh Khan at the hieght that he is now. The way he has created his own world, after losing his entire family at the young age of 25 is commendable. He created his own space, his own family. He worked hard to achieve all the fame and name that he now has).”

Manoj added, “Main isliye respect karta hoon kyunki main unke aas paas saare doston mein tha, jisne dekha tha uske saath yeh sab hote hue. Mere liye kabhi Shah Rukh ke liye koi kadvahat nahi ho sakti (I respect him because I was one of his friends who had seen him at his worst. I can never be bitter about Shah Rukh’s success).”

During the interview, Manoj also said that during their starting days, Shah Rukh Khan and he used to meet frequently and they also worked together for some time. However, they no longer get the time to meet up as frequently as both Manoj and Shah Rukh have created “different worlds” for themselves. But, they do have a mutual respect for each other, Manoj added.

Manoj Bajpayee was most recently seen in Gulmohar. Currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, Gulmohar featured Manoj as Sharmila Tagore’s onscreen son and also featured Simran and Suraj Sharma. It was directed by Rahul V Chittella.