Hansal Mehta recalls Manoj Bajpayee being “irritating” on the sets of Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar; says, “Everyone used to run away from him” : Bollywood News

In a candid interview, filmmaker Hansal Mehta has shed light on his early collaboration with actor Manoj Bajpayee on the 2000 comedy-drama Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar. While the film didn't garner widespread recognition, the experience left a lasting impression on Hansal, primarily due to Manoj's unpredictable behaviour during the shoot.

Hansal Mehta recalls Manoj Bajpayee being “irritating” on the sets of Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar; says, “Everyone used to run away from him”

Appearing on a year-end roundtable hosted by Cinema Express, Hansal openly admitted that Manoj's "mood swings" posed a significant challenge. "We made Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar in 2000, and he was a pain in that film," Hansal stated. He further clarified, "But at heart, he's a nice guy. He's not a bad person. You get that vibe."

Despite the friction, Hansal acknowledges Manoj's dedication to his craft. "When we were working together, I used to get very irritated," Hansal recalled. "I would ask, 'Manoj, why are you behaving like this?' That was the time when Manoj would take the character and just go. I don't know how he decided that the character should be irritable, but he thrust it on everyone. Everyone used to run away from him. Saurabh (Shukla) used to be like, 'I went to speak to him and he was mean. What's wrong with him?'"

It's important to note that Manoj and Hansal collaborated again on the critically acclaimed film Aligarh, which was released in 2015. Hansal described Aligarh as the film he's most fond of.

Speaking of the professional front, Mehta is currently awaiting the release of his next film, The Buckingham Murders, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan. The film served as the opening film for the 2023 Mumbai Film Festival at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre last year. It is set to directly stream on Netflix, however, the makers haven’t announced its release date as of now. On the other hand, Bajpayee will be next seen in Killer Soup, a black comedy series.

Also Read: Hansal Mehta pens a heartfelt review of Shah Rukh Khan starrer Dunki; says, “Nice to end the year with SRK tugging at your heart strings”