Actor Manoj Bajpayee first met superstar Amitabh Bachchan a few days after the release of Satya (1998). Shortly after, the duo went on to work together in filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Aks (2001). They followed it up with other spectacular performances in a host of other films like Satyagraha (2013), Aarakshan (2011) and Sarkar 3 (2017). They were also a part of Veer-Zaara (2014) but didn’t share screen space in the Yash Chopra directorial.
As Big B turns 80 today, Bajpayee looks back at the time when watching Bachchan’s films inspired him to pursue a career in acting. “Amitabh Bachchan and his films have been the reason which emboldened my dream of becoming an actor. I was a child watching films in a small town. My father and mother used to take us to watch all kinds of films and it was Amitabh Bachchan’s Zanjeer (1973) which did a trick on me. It was the reason why I wanted to become an actor," he explains.
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Today, the 53-year-old shares a close bond with the living legend, but he continues to remain mesmerised with Bachchan’s work and persona. “He became my reference to cinema and my inspiration to be an actor. I used to watch his films and see his swag, walk and dialogue delivery with a lot of awe. I followed him so intently and he gave me a lot of strength and courage to leave my village and everything behind to become an actor," says Bajpayee, adding that he wishes Big B every year on his birthday personally.
Talking about meeting Bachchan for the first time, Bajpayee in an interview with The Lallantop had earlier revealed that it during a screening of Satya and that he was quite intoxicated at the time. “Abhishek (Bachchan; actor) started praising me. I could see a tall man appearing from afar. It was quite cinematic. A tall man came from behind and he was looking at me, and this was Amitabh Bachchan, and I was seeing him for the first time in real life. And I was drunk!" he said.
Bajapyee added, “The moment I saw him, it felt like my ears were ringing. I could only hear that ring. He was saying something, I could hear his voice but I could not register anything because the ringing kept getting louder and I was a bit drunk as well."
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