Manoj Pahwa recalls he weighed 110 kgs before acting debut, says ‘my relatives thought someone did witchcraft on me’

Actor Manoj Pahwa is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming political action thriller Anek. In a new interview, Manoj recalled the time when he left home to become an actor while his relatives body-shamed him for weighing 110 kgs. He also talked about how he was frustrated with the label of ‘comedian’ and how filmmaker Anubhav Sinha’s film Mulk, in which he played a negative role, changed people’s perception. Also Read: Varun Dhawan promises Manoj Pahwa that he will make him lose weight: ‘Agle 10 dino mein…’

Manoj’s Anek will star actor Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead role. In Anek, director Anubhav Sinha chronicles various sociopolitical issues in the country. The film is slated to release on May 27 and also stars actors Andrea Kevichusa, Kumud Mishra, and J D Chakravarthy.

Talking about his decision to move to Mumbai and the challenges that he faced, Manoj told India Today, “I left my father’s business at the age of 30 and moved to Mumbai to become an actor. I was married and had two children. I had family responsibilities. My relatives would say that someone has done some kind of witchcraft on me and that I am 110 kg overweight and want to become a hero.”

He also talked about how his performances in the films, TV shows gave him the label of being a ‘comedian’ but that frustrated him. He said, “I got frustrated with the roles being offered in films. There was nothing solid but I had to do (those roles) because, in the end, I had to run a family. Then I saw a shift when Article 15, Dil Dhakadne Do, Mulk came. Of course, Anubhav Sinha had told me that he had doubts when he offered Mulk to me. He said that his team was not certain as I was labelled as a comedian and the role was serious. But, he took the chance and see! The award that I ever got in my career is Best Actor for a negative role for Article 15. It is ironic.”

Manoj made his film debut with the 1996 film Tere Mere Sapne. In the film, he played the role of Detective Mirchandani. He later appeared in films such as Taal, Josh, Darna Zaroori Hai, Salaam-e-Ishq, Mulk, Veere Di Wedding, Judwaa 2, Student Of The Year 2, Article 15, and many more.