Through his small but relevant roles in films like Oye lucky lucky Oye and Udaan, Manjot Singh managed to win the hearts of the audience. The actor chatted with Iknoor Kaur on his success
Manjot Singh thought he would complete his MBA and would be a banker. But destiny had something else in store for him. He ended up being an actor. Singh made a mark in Bollywood through films like Oye lucky lucky Oye, Udaan and Student Of The Year and his last was Fukrey.
Extremely shy by nature, Singh told us that acting happened by chance. “I am a very shy person but when I am performing in front of the camera, I shed all inhibitions and I think that has helped me establish myself as an actor. Because of my reserved nature I never participated in school functions. Through a friend I got to know of auditions and things just took off from there,” he stated.
Adding, “I may be shy, but so far all the directors I’ve worked with have told me to stay just like this because the day I will change nobody will even give me a chance. I think it is very important to stay focussed and down-to-earth, success follows you then.”
The 20-year-old actor is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree through correspondence at Delhi University. He is presently busy with his exams and as of now he has plans to complete his studies. “My family plays a very important role in my life. We all sit together and take decisions over my career and the projects I do,” he shared.
In his first film Oye lucky lucky Oye, he played the role of younger Abhay Deol. During this time he also went through a workshop in Manali and observed Abhay’s character in order to replicate him.
“For people it was a dream come true but I didn’t even dream of that. Fukra ban ke chala gayatha aur actor ban ke aa gaya (I went with nothing in my hand and became an actor),” he added.
One of Singh’s most acclaimed performance has been in Udaan. “It has been the best experience for me ever. It has made me reach this stage in my career,” he said.
Manjot also appeared in season three of Fear Factor. He said that he has always been adventurous and often scared his mom. “As a kid I always told my mom while we were on the terrace, main kood jaooIJ (Should I jumpIJ) And she would get scared and not let me go on the terrace. So when I got the offer for the show, I grabbed the opportunity,” he added saying that he is scared of insects and he is glad that he didn’t have to face any insect-related task while he was on the show. He has done a Punjabi film too, Pure Punjabi. “Punjabi film industry is picking up fast. I want to do more films in Punjabi but am not getting time as of now,” he said. Manjot’s next will be The Zero line.