Manoj Bajpayee Says He Looks ‘Really Sexy’: ‘Directors Can’t See That Sexiness In Me’ | Exclusive | Bollywood News

Manoj Bajpayee’s latest release Jugnuma (The Fable) is currently running in cinemas.

Bollywood has often been accused of placing a disproportionate emphasis on physical appearance, often prioritising looks over talent. As a result, many who don’t fit into its definition of conventional beauty get stereotyped in certain roles. A few years back, a social media user referred to Tillotama Shome as a ‘flop actress who looks like a maid’. She later reacted to the remark as a reflection of ‘deep-rooted biases around beauty (sic)’. Nawazuddin Siddiqui too spoke about being criticised for his looks and appearance, making him believe that he’s ugly.

Additionally, Manoj Bajpayee had once shared how he rarely gets offered ‘high-society, rich roles’. Now, speaking exclusively to News18 Showsha, he emphasises on the stereotypes that actors often face based on how they look. “It’s the limitation in the directors’ mind. Agar woh log dimaag theek se use nahi karenge toh main kya kar lunga? And these things will never change. Calendar mein jo bhagwaan hote hai, actors ko woh log ussi roop mein dekhna chahte hai. But have they seen how god looks? No,” he reacts.

But he isn’t the one to get bogged down by a filmmaker’s perception of him. In fact, he has never let self-doubts engulf him. “In my eyes, I’m very sexy but they’re so restricted by stereotypes that they feel that a person like me can only play villain roles. And I don’t find their thoughts of me insulting. Rather, I find myself laughing at them and their limited capacity of looking at films and actors. I really look sexy. It’s just that they can’t see that sexiness in me,” Manoj tells us.

Talking about Tillotama experiencing typecasting in maid roles after her debut in Monsoon Wedding, which according to her is ‘both a blessing and a curse’, he says, “I find her very good looking. What’s the problem with her face? Kuch bhi! It’s not an actor’s fault. We need to understand that. It’s not my fault if I look the way I look. If someone comes to me with only villain roles, it’s not my fault. It’s the lack of the vision of the filmmaker or the person who’s offering me that!”

As he discusses the functioning of the film industry, Manoj also draws attention to its unhealthy obsession with the box-office. “The system is all messed up. The decline began the moment people started treating box office as the king and the god. And with that, a bunch of some great film reviewers have popped up on different platforms. I call them the ‘gyaatas’. All their box-office predictions have always been proven wrong,” he states.

The Jugnuma and Inspector Zende actor further continues, “They don’t review films, they forecast their destiny. They’re like weather forecasters. And that’s why filmmaking has become frivolous today. It’s not our fault. It used to be frustrating earlier, not anymore, because the films that I’ve been doing have been getting a lot of love, support and appreciation from some genuine people. And the only solution is to fight the system.”