Manoj Bajpayee reflects on receiving guidance from Vivian Richards during early struggles, 'He told me something very important’

MUMBAI: Actor Manoj Bajpayee, who is well-known in the Hindi cinema business for his extraordinary acting abilities and adaptability, never fails to captivate audiences with his outstanding performances. He was talking recently about a memorable experience from his bad days, recalling how he met the legendary West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards.

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Bajpayee gained priceless life lessons from this encounter, which enhanced both his acting and personal development.

Manoj Bajpayee highlighted in an interview the exceptional capacity of legends to identify and value the accomplishments of their contemporaries. When Bajpayee thought back to his first encounter with Vivian Richards at Mahesh Bhatt's house, he remembered clearly how the cricket icon complimented Sunil Gavaskar in return.

Manoj said, “I met Vivian Richards at Mahesh Bhatt’s house. I took his autograph. I was looking for work in the film industry at that time. Bhatt sahab used to love me a lot, so I would often visit his house. During our meeting, I told Vivian, ‘I think you are the best player in the world.’ Though I was a Sunil Gavaskar fan at the time, he said, ‘No, Sunil Gavaskar is the best player in the world.’ I told him, ‘How can you say that? I think he is the second best.'”

Further he added, “Vivian told me something very important. He said that although he was a part of the world’s best team, Sunil Gavaskar played against all the best bowlers, scored so many centuries, and had such a long career. This is all Vivian could say; only a legend can talk about another legend like this.”

In the 1980s, cricketer Vivian Richards and Hindi film actor Neena Gupta were romantically involved. Neena fell pregnant with their daughter Masaba Gupta during this period. Prior to their relationship, Richards was already wed to another person.

In Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen, Manoj Bajpayee made his screen debut as Man Singh, a character noted for its nuance and passion. With his outstanding roles in critically praised movies like Pinjar, Zubeidaa, Aks, Satya, Shool, and Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar, he quickly gained notoriety. His portrayal in The Family Man, Raj and DK's spy thriller series, further cemented his reputation as a multi talented performer who is well-liked by viewers.

Also read: Manoj Bajpayee reveals his wife Shabana assumed that he was doing The Family Man for money; ‘she asked me, Is everything alright?’

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