Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; April 5, 2018)

Manoj Bajpayee had taken cinephiles by surprise when he chose to slip into the role of the antagonist in Tiger Shroff-starrer, Baaghi 2. In an interview with mid-day, he now reveals that his decision to give his nod to the film was motivated by emotions, not monetary benefits. “Ahmed Khan [director, Baaghi 2] and Mukesh Chhabra [casting director] are my friends. When they came home to offer the film to me, I was happy to agree,” says the actor.

Bajpayee says he can now afford the luxury of working for factors other than financial perks. “There are decisions you take for reasons other than money. I have worked for the sake of friendship in the past, and will continue to do so. If I turn a film down, my friends may feel I am too hard to get. I can afford to do a film for my pals because I have successfully established myself as an actor.”

With the film inching towards the Rs 100-crore mark, Bajpayee is happy that producer-friend Sajid Nadiadwala has yet another hit to his credit. Yet, it is the acclaim that leading man Shroff has been garnering that warms his heart. “Sajid bhai has had many hits, and is successful today. But the people who need this success are Tiger and Ahmed. Tiger is so devoted that, even between shots, he will practise his moves with his trainer. When you see the kind of devotion he harbours for his craft, you know he deserves to be successful. Ahmed too needs this hit. His last two ventures didn’t fare well.”