Manoj Bajpai envies Rajkumar Rao's age

Actor Manoj Bajpai is talented, successful and famous, then why is he envious of his 'Aligarh' co-star Rajkumar Rao?

During the trailer launch of internationally acclaimed movie 'Aligarh,' the 46-year-old actor said that the 51-year-old 'CityLights' actor is currently at the right age to be able to act in the kind of films being made in the industry.

"He (Rajkummar) is somebody I really envy because in the time when the good films are happening, in the time when such great directors like Hansal Mehta are making films, he is just there in the right age. So many actors like me, spent our time waiting at home for that one script to happen and those films used to be very rare," said the 'Zubeidaa' actor.

Manoj and Rajkummar had earlier worked together in Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Chittagong' before the latter gained popularity for his roles in 'Kai Po Che' and 'Shahid.'

The 'Gangs of Wasseypur' star even said that the 'Queen' actor has always been the person he could relate to from the very first day.

"I saw him for the first time when I was doing 'Chittagong' somewhere in North Bengal - young boy, full of dreams, full of enthusiasm, desperate to prove himself all the time, but good at heart; he was somebody that I related to from the first day. And from that day till now, we're great friends," he said.

The story of 'Aligarh' revolves around a middle aged, homosexual professor Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras (played by Manoj Bajpai) and a journalist (played by Rajkumar Rao) who unravels the professor's world. The chemistry between Bajpayee and Rao is something that took the movie to its next level.

The 3-minute long captivating trailer shows professor Siras talking about love several times but as a painful and heartbreaking one.

Directed by the 'CityLights' and 'Shahid' director Hansal Mehta, 'Aligarh' is set to hit the theatres on February 26. The film was premiered at the 59th BFI London Film Festival and was widely appreciated.