Sushant Singh Rajput Couldn't Handle Industry Politics… Andar Se Baccha Tha: Manoj Bajpayee

Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee, known for delivering remarkable performances, is currently busy promoting his upcoming film "Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai." The film is scheduled to release on May 23 on an OTT platform.

In this movie, Manoj portrays the character of a lawyer who confronts a rape case involving a self-proclaimed spiritual leader. Amidst his hectic promotional activities, Manoj recently shared his thoughts on Sushant Singh Rajput and shed light on the issue of nepotism prevalent in the industry.

During an interview with Aaj Tak, Manoj expressed his views on nepotism in the industry, a term that is frequently discussed and often leads to trolling of star kids on social media. Manoj revealed that he has never been affected by nepotism because the kind of films he chooses to work in are not typically pursued by star kids. Mentioning names like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Irrfan Khan, and Kay Kay Menon, stating that these actors would have taken up such roles if they were available.

Manoj emphasised that these films are not focused on or financially supported by the industry, so he believes it's not a valid excuse to dwell on the issue. "Nawaz karega, Irrfan hota toh woh karta ya Kaykay Menon karega. These are not commercial films so nobody focuses on them or even puts their money on them. I must thus add that you cannot make this an excuse all the time. Don’t waste your energy. Do theatre, if you are a good actor, you can even earn money by performing on the street," he said.

Talking about Sushant Singh Rajput's untimely death, Manoj, who has worked with him in Sonchiriya, said, "We really became close and he had so much love for me. I would often cook mutton on set and he would always come by to eat. We never knew he would take such a drastic step but he had opened up about his challenges to me."

Sushant Singh Rajput, known for his role in MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, tragically passed away three years back. He was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on June 14, 2020. Following his untimely demise, the topic of nepotism became a major discussion on social media platforms. In the interview, Manoj Bajpayee also shared that late actor couldn't handle the industry politics.

"Industry mein politics humesha hota hai (there will always be politics in the film industry) but it gets dirtier as you climb the ladder of success. I never had an issue as I was stubborn and thick-skinned. He wasn’t and thus could not manage the pressure. He had spoken to me about being worried about these things as it affected him," he said.

Shedding light on whether Sushant was a victim of nepotism, he added, "If you want to be a Manoj Bajpayee, there is no politics. But he wanted to be a star and there’s too much competition there. Anyone who enters the field to be a star would try their best to clinch that position. However, he couldn’t bear the same. I have realised that he was a pure soul and andar se baccha tha (he was like a child). He could not understand the manipulation that was needed."

Sushant Singh Rajput's last film Dil Bechara released posthumously on Disney+ Hotstar. The movie starred Sanjana Sanghi as the female lead.