Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee, who comes from Bihar, opened up at a media interaction on Thursday on how people from his state, UP and "even Chhattisgarh" were treated with contempt elsewhere in the country.
The actor spoke about how some people still have a stereotypical view of their counterparts from Bihar, whom they consider to be less intelligent. Without mincing words, he said those with a regional mindset only expose their narrowness and it shows that something is wrong with them.
The actor was speaking during the trailer launch of his film 'Bhaiyya Ji' when he was asked if the tagline of the film, 'Bhaiyya nahi, Bhaiyya ji kaho', has a subtext.
Pulling the media person's leg, Manoj said, "Kuch na kuch vivaad toh hona hi chaahiye, hai na (We need to have some argument or the other, don't we)? See, whenever someone tells you something negative with regards to your background or your ethnicity, it means that the problem is with the other person, not with you."
He added: "A sane person will never make negative remarks about your caste, your religion or the region where you come from."
He said the message of the film is that people from UP and Bihar, too, are humans and they deserve respect.
"Mazaak mat udaao izzat do, aadar do, people from UP, Bihar and even Chhattisgarh are addressed as 'Bhaiyya' jokingly, which should not be the case," the actor noted.
