‘Was not my target': When Manoj Bajpayee was asked about being jealous of Shah Rukh Khan

Manoj Bajpayee, known for the roles in movies like ‘Satya’, ‘Bandit Queen’, ‘The Family Man’ and ‘Aligarh’, once spoke candidly about his early days in theatre and his equation with Shah Rukh Khan. In an interview, when he was asked whether he ever felt jealous of Shah Rukh Khan’s massive success.In an old interview with Barkha Dutt, he was questioned about jealousy, He explained his mindset during those years and how it differed from Shah Rukh’s ambition. Manoj said, "Shah Rukh Khan always wanted to be loved, to be a star, to be the centre of attention. That was not my target. I was completely okay with not being surrounded by 20 people in my theatre group. I was completely okay with nobody looking at me. I was completely okay with being a fly on the wall," he added. Manoj was also asked if Shah Rukh Khan’s rapid rise shook his confidence. He dismissed that idea firmly. He said, "Your confidence breaks after failure, not because he's more popular than I am." He also recalled how Barry John supported him during that phase. Instead of judging him for his weak English, Barry John cast him in small roles, “Your confidence breaks after failure, not because he’s more popular than I am." He recalled how Barry John would subtly help him instead of judging him for not speaking English well. “Many times, he would throw this challenge at me, whenever he was doing an English play with Divya or Rituraj or Shah Rukh, he’d give me a small role,"Talking about his personal dynamic with Shah Rukh, Manoj clarified that while they knew each other, they were never close friends. He said, "We knew each other, but our friend circles weren't the same. People have to understand, we come from different worlds." He added, "Even back then, Shah Rukh belonged to a 'khas duniya'. Just because one studies in Jamia doesn't make them a regular person. I wasn't surrounded by 10 people at all times, while Shah Rukh was always charming and surrounded by people."Manoj Bajpayee was recently seen in ‘The Family Man’ Season 3.His upcoming project include Shoojit Sircar’s Mahabharat inspired satire, starring Rajkummar Rao.