Manoj Bajpayee reveals that he is a trained dancer but quit after watching Hrithik Roshan perform

Speaking at a chat show about his initial days in the theatre, Manoj said that earlier he used to dance as it was important for an actor to sing and dance

Manoj is currently getting ready for the release of his upcoming film, Gulmohar

Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee recently revealed that he is a trained dancer but he gave up that dream after watching Hrithik Roshan dance. The actor gained prominence for his performance in the 1998 film Satya, which came out before Hrithik’s debut project, Kaho Na Pyaar Hai (2000).

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Speaking at a chat show about his initial days in the theatre, Manoj said that he used to sing and dance as it was important for an actor to sing and dance those days. “Since I'm from theatre, there used to be a prerequisite that an artist should know how to sing. Even if you do not become a frontline singer, you must be a chorus singer at least. Haan, main naachta bhi tha (Yes, I used to dance as well),” he said.

He added, “Main Chhau dance mein trained hoon lekin jab Hrithik aya na. Maine Hrithik ko dekha toh maine kaha aaj ke baad dancing ka khwaab band kyuki ab ye nahi seekh sakta main (I'm trained in Chhau dance but when Hrithik came in the industry and I saw his performance, I told myself 'this is the end of my dream of dance as I can't learn this).”

When reminded of his dancing in Satya's well-known song Sapne Me Milti Hai, Manoj claimed that he had already performed all the necessary dance moves before Hrithik's debut. Manoj is currently getting ready for the release of Rahul V. Chittella's upcoming film, Gulmohar. The movie narrates the story of a multigenerational family named the Batras, who must deal with concerns when they must leave their 34-year-old family home.

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Gulmohar, which will be released on March 3 on Disney+Hotstar, also stars Simran, Kaveri Seth, Suraj Sharma, and Amol Palekar. The film has been bankrolled by Star Studios production in collaboration with Chalkboard Entertainment and Autonomous Works.