Manoj Bajpayee on 25 years of ‘Shool’: A journey born out of pure passion, grit and unwavering faith

New Delhi, Actor Manoj Bajpayee on Tuesday marked the 25th anniversary of his cult classic movie “Shool” and said he owes it to filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma who trusted him to shoulder the movie.
Written and produced by Varma with dialogues by Anurag Kashyap, “Shool” was directed by Eeshwar Nivas. It was released in theatres on November 5, 1999, and received praise for its story and performances of the lead cast, including Bajpayee, Raveena Tandon and Sayaji Shinde.
“25 years of ‘Shool’, a journey born out of pure passion, grit, and unwavering faith. Working with the visionary @RGVzoomin was nothing short of inspiring. His belief in me to carry this story on my shoulders meant everything, especially at a time when few would take that chance.
“Thank you, RGV, for trusting me, guiding us, and creating a film that would resonate across generations,” Bajpayee posted on X.
Set in Bihar, “Shool” featured Bajpayee as an upright cop who goes against a corrupt politician, a battle that takes an immense toll on his personal and professional life.
Varma, who gave Bajpayee his career’s breakthrough role as Bhiku Mahtre in “Satya”, released a year before “Shool”, praised the actor, saying it was his “ultra intense performance” which carried the movie.
“Everyone else’s contribution, including mine, was just marginal..What you did in that film is a textbook example of what a SERIOUS ACTOR can do to a ROLE ,” the filmmaker tweeted.
Bajpayee also expressed his gratitude to “Shool” director Nivas for bringing “intensity to every scene”, Kashyap for his raw and powerful writing as well as the rest of the cast, including Tandon, Shinde, Shilpa Shetty, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vineet Kumar, Virendra Saxena, Yashpal Sharma and Rajpal Yadav.
“‘Shool’ wouldn’t be the same without each of you. Special cheers to @ShankarEhsanLoy for their unforgettable music and to my friend Sandeep Chowtha for a background score that brought so much heart to every scene.
“To everyone who’s embraced ‘Shool’ as a cult classic, this milestone is as much yours as it is ours. Here’s to timeless cinema. #Shool25,” said the actor.
Bajpayee is currently awaiting the release of his latest movie “Despatch”, directed by Kanu Behl, and “The Fable” by Raam Reddy.
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