'Never Considered For High-Society Roles': Manoj Bajpayee Says He Has Been Stereotyped As 'Middle Class' Person

Actor Manoj Bajpayee recently revealed that even after being a part of showbiz for several decades now, he still falls prey to stereotypes. He stated that till date, no director considers him for "rich guy" roles, and instead, he has been typecast into playing middle class and lower middle class characters.

Bajpayee told Bombay Times that the only films in which he has played a rich person are Zubeidaa (2001), Veer Zaara (2004) and Gulmohar (2023). "That was Shyam Benegal’s conviction. He was the one who felt that real maharajas were not Greek gods. They looked normal. In Veer-Zaara, I played a politician from Pakistan. I had two scenes in it, but Yashji (Chopra) was adamant that I do it. He cast me after watching Pinjar (2003). These filmmakers had that vision which stems from seeing life up close," he said.

Bajpayee went on to say, "The roles that I portrayed were mostly set in middle-class and lower middle-class stories. I am never considered for high-society roles. No director could think of me as a rich guy, barring the two stalwarts that I mentioned. This stereotyping exists."

Bajpayee was last seen in the commercial entertainer Bhaiyya Ji, in which he played the role of a retired criminal out to seek revenge for his brother's death. He has also starred in films like Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, Joram, Aligarh, Gangs of Wasseypur, Special 26, among others.

Not just that, but Bajpayee has been making waves in the OTT space as well, with projects like The Family Man, Ray and Killer Soup. He will be next seen in the second highly-anticipated second installment of The Family Man.