Manoj Bajpayee recently shared his experience working with legendary late director Yash Chopra in his film Veer Zaara. He said that even though he just had a guest appearance in the film, he felt just as important as Shah Rukh Khan in the film.

Shah Rukh played the lead role in the Yash Chopra film, alongside Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji. In a recent interview, Manoj said that Yash cast him after watching him in Pinjar.

‘Equal footing with SRK’

“The way he respected me on set, till date, I tell other producers that one should be like Yash Chopra. From the first day, he never made me feel like I was just there for a guest appearance. He made me feel like I and Shah Rukh were on equal footing in the film. He gave me so much respect,” he recalled.

(Read More: Manoj Bajpayee Recalls Being Labelled As Adult Star: ‘No Right To Go That Dirty’)

‘Believed in Manoj’s role’

The Family Man star also shared that Yash Chopra believed that Manoj’s role would be remembered by the fans. However, the actor did not think much about it, and it turned out to be true.

“After every shot, he would say that till the time people talk about this film, they will talk about this role. I would think that he was just saying it like that; I was just being sincere and doing it. But he was right,” he said.

‘Shah Rukh Was The Villain’

Manoj Bajpayee said that once, a Pakistani woman walked up to him to criticise his negative role in the film.  He was the main obstacle between Veer and Zaara. Manoj laughed and recalled what he told that woman and said, “I said you are not thinking from his point of view. He is engaged to her, and she is going out with someone else, and you are hating me for it. When I got this role, I was thinking from my character’s perspective, and for me, Shah Rukh was the villain of that story.”