Manoj Bajpai, who will be seen as an ambitious, power hungry politician in Prakash Jha’s Raajneeti , seems to have found inspiration from an unlikely source: actor turned politician Chiranjeevi. The look and the mannerisms appear to be styled on the South icon.
Our source said, “When you see Manoj in the film, especially during the election campaign scenes and notice his oratory style, it bears a striking resemblance to Chiranjeevi. Even his look and his moustache are absolutely similar. The striking resemblance can’t be avoided.”However, Manoj Bajpai did not agree with the theory. He said, “Not at all. I have never observed Chiranjeevi when he was campaigning. It might be a coincidence or some postures might be similar, but there is no deliberate attempt to copy him. I have based my character on someone from my village in Bihar, who I have known since childhood. His name is Brijesh Singh. I wanted to capture his charisma as I play the eldest brother in this family saga. He is extremely ambitious and can go to any extent to fulfill his political ambitions. At the same time, he is a great friend and an interesting character in the film.”
Speaking about the scenes where he resembles Chiranjeevi, he said, “Those are the sequences where I am trying to raise a debate. I was trying to look active and speak my mind. In the scene, I speak aggressively so that people who are listening to me should believe in me. I guess that’s why people find this similarity.”
