Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Devdas' is one of the most loved movies. From the dialogues, and music to the songs, everything about the movie is still etched in our memories. Released in 2002, it was the highest-grossing movie of the year. The magnum opus had a stellar star cast including Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Jackie Shroff among others. Did you know actor Manoj Bajpayee was offered to play Jackie's character Chunnilal in the film? Read on to know why he turned down the offer.
Manoj, in an interview with Sushant Sinha, revealed that he was offered Chunnilal’s role in 'Devdas' but he turned it down saying that he wanted to play the titular role Devdas. The role then went to Jackie Shroff who finally ended up playing it.
When the National award-winning actor was asked if he had ever rejected a movie that went on to become a big hit. He said, “Yes'' and added, ''I was offered Jackie Shroff’s role in Devdas, but I immediately said no.'' He continued, ''I told Sanjay, ‘Sanjay, yaar, meri toh hamesha se ichchha thi Devdas karne ki (I always wanted to play Devdas). That film became a superhit''.
Manoj regrets about letting it go. ''I’d wanted to play Devdas since my theatre days, ever since I’d watched Dilip Kumar’s film, or read the book. But I never felt bad,'' he said.
On the work front, Manoj's last release was his 100th film, 'Bhaiyya Ji' that failed to live up to its expectations. Prior to that, he was seen in ‘Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout’ where he played the role of ACP Avinash. Bajpayee's next release is the much awaited series 'The Family Man 3' where he will reprise his character, Srikant Tiwari. The release date is yet to be confirmed.
