Throwback: When Manoj Bajpayee was left 'heartbroken' by Ram Gopal Varma after being offered the second lead in Satya

Manoj Bajpayee, who rose to prominence after Ram Gopal Varma's Satya, has said that he was originally unhappy when the filmmaker failed to fulfil his promise to cast him in the lead role. The actor went on to say that RGV, inspired by his portrayal in Bandit Queen, had spent the better part of five years looking for him.

On Cyrus Says, Manoj revealed that a guy told him that RGV is hunting for a main henchman for the Paresh Rawal gang, which is why he ended up there. The actor went inside to meet Ramu when it was his turn and sat down as he instructed. The director asked Manoj what he had done, to which he mentioned that he had previously worked with Mahesh Bhatt on a film and had a major role in Bandit Queen. Since RGV was a die-hard Bandit Queen fan, that immediately triggered a memory, as he has seen the movie more than three or four times.

The actor said that RGV denied ever seeing him in the part of Maan Singh. When he inquired as to his acting experience, Manoj told him, "Maan Singh." In an instant, he stood up and exclaimed that the actor doesn't look like Maan Singh; he is too young and good-looking for that character.

That very day, RGV informed Manoj about Satya and discouraged him from filming Daud. The director expressed his shock at having spent five years searching for Manoj and said that this movie shouldn't be made. RGV has a movie in which he will star, as he has been looking for Manoj for years. The filmmaker asked him not to take on any other project, as he only wanted to keep that character for himself. RGV finished up the script for Satya after filming Daud. But when Manoj got the call and found out he'd be playing the supporting character rather than the protagonist, he was devastated.

The filmmaker contacted him and said that he wanted him to play the second guy. It broke his heart; basically, he lied. Manoj asked him, "What's the point?" The actor visited RGV's home and heard that he knows that he can cast anyone for the lead, but he needs someone who has a great personality and a great presence in front of the camera for Biku Mhatre. Manoj said that a throng would gather to watch him shoot and that he always got a round of applause after each one.

In the 1998 film Satya, starring JD Chakravarthy, Urmila Matondkar, and Saurabh Shukla, among others, they all had prominent roles.