Long before they became some of Hindi cinema’s most celebrated actors, Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vijay Raaz were part of the theatre circuit. Looking back at those early days, Manoj recently shared a hilarious anecdote about a play in which Nawazuddin and Vijay ended up playing trees for hours.

Speaking to Fever FM, the actor recalled how the future stars joined a theatre production only to discover that there were no proper roles left for them.

Manoj said the play was a large production and he vividly remembers the day Nawazuddin and Vijay first met the director.

“It was a very big play. I still remember the first day. Both of them came to meet the director, who asked them where they were from and why they wanted to act. Since there were no roles available, he said, ‘Let’s do one thing. Let’s make them trees, because we need trees.'”

According to Manoj, Nawazuddin and Vijay were among seven or eight actors cast as trees in the production.

Manoj recalled that his intense rehearsal schedule often left Nawazuddin and Vijay wondering whether acting was really the glamorous profession they had imagined it to be.

“I used to rehearse like crazy. Rehearsals would go on all day long. Later, Nawaz told me that he and Vijay would watch me working so hard. They would go out and discuss whether acting really required this much hard work. They wanted to become stars, but after seeing me rehearse, they started thinking of going back because, ‘ye aadmi to itni gadha majduri kar raha hai (this man is working so hard).'”

Manoj revealed that Nawazuddin and Vijay had to stand on stage as trees for nearly two-and-a-half hours.

The actor then shared another amusing memory involving the play’s director.

“Both of them became panauti (bad luck) for the director. He used to get so passionate while giving directions that he once collided with them and fell. The fracture was so bad that screws had to be inserted. During the rest of the play, he would direct with one hand. Everyone used to tease him, saying these two guys were panauti for him.”

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Manoj said his friendship with Nawazuddin and Vijay dates back to those theatre days.

“Nawaz and Vijay Raaz have been my friends since that time. We used to travel together and stay in the same halls. Wherever we were hosted, we would all be accommodated together. We would eat at the mess or sometimes at a hotel.”

Interestingly, Nawazuddin Siddiqui had previously recalled the same play during an interview with Mashable India. He revealed that the production took place before Manoj gained wider recognition with Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen and admitted that he initially underestimated him.

“I had done a play with Manoj bhai. Back then, he wasn’t this famous. He was popular in the theatre circuit. I got a part in that play and learnt that the main lead was played by Manoj Bajpayee. After that he got Bandit Queen and then I got to know who is Manoj Bajpayee! Pehle toh aivenyi le rahe the hum unko (He didn’t consider us seriously initially). He was known in the theatre circuit though, and was among the top five best actors of the time.”

Nawazuddin also remembered Manoj’s mischievous behaviour during the production.

“Vijay Raaz and I used to stand like a tree for two and a half hours. Manoj bhai was so naughty. He played a Koala and a jungle was created on stage where men would be trees. As the Koala, he would come and scratch himself against us. We would feel ticklish but couldn’t even laugh. Iss tareeke ki badmaashiya karte the (He was mischievious like that).”

Manoj Bajpayee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui first worked together in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur.