"I don't make films for an actor like you": Yash Chopra's words to Manoj Bajpayee before casting him in Veer Zaara

Manoj Bajpayee is one of the rare gems of the Indian film industry. From hard hitting films to path breaking OTT series, Manoj has done it all. Over the years, Bajpayee has created a niche audience for himself with the kind of films he chooses to do. So it was a pleasant surprise for everyone to see him in a full-blown romantic saga like Veer Zaara by Yash Chopra.

Talking about how he ended up in a film that is so not his zone, the actor revealed that Yash Chopra had watched his film - Pinjar - with LK Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He added that Yash Chopra was thoroughly amazed by his performance and wanted to cast him in the Shah Rukh Khan - Preity Zinta starrer.

What Yash Chopra said to Manoj

Manoj also revealed that it was a time for him to also catch up with SRK since the two hail from Delhi. "Shah Rukh, I have known for many years from my days in Delhi, so it was also a chance to catch up. Because we don't meet up, we belong to two different kinds of films and filmmaking. So, it was a chance to catch up with him and also enjoy being on the sets of Mr Yash Chopra, who had been such a magnificent, successful mainstream director for so many years," the National Award recipient said.

"We grew up watching his films! We used to chat for long, both Yash ji and me. He was very clear in telling me, 'I don't make films for an actor like you, so I don't think I would have anything else in the future, but this is very good and it will be great if you agree to do it.' He was such a humble man," the Gulmohar actor revealed.