Manoj Bajpayee recently opened up about his training days under coach Barry John in Delhi, where he was in the same batch as Shah Rukh Khan. Manoj said that the two didn’t hang out together as they belonged to a different world with different set of desires.

In an interview with Barkha Dutt on Mojo Story, Manoj said, “Shah Rukh Khan always wanted to be loved, to be a star, to be the centre of attention. That was not my target. I was completely okay with not being surrounded by 20 people in my theatre group. I was completely okay with nobody looking at me. I was completely okay with being a fly on the wall.”

He added, “We knew each other, but our friend circle wasn’t the same. People have to understand, we come from different worlds. People ask why we do not meet, and I tell them, ‘We can’t meet’. Even back then, he belonged to a ‘khas duniya’. Just because one studies in Jamia doesn’t make them a regular person. I wasn’t surrounded by 10 people at all times. Shah Rukh was always a charming guy, and was always surrounded by people.”

Manoj’s Despatch was released on ZEE5 on December 13. It is directed by Kanu Behl.