When Vidhu Vinod Chopra bit Manoj Bajpayee's actor wife's hand
What's the story
In a recent interview, acclaimed actor Manoj Bajpayee revealed why his wife, Shabana Raza—popularly known by her stage name Neha Bajpai—stopped working in films after 2009.
He said she didn't quit but stopped getting offers due to "too many politics here and there."
He also emphasized that being an outsider without a mentor in the industry contributed to her career's downfall.
However, he went on to recount a bizarre incident from Raza's early Bollywood days.
Incident recall
Bajpayee recounted an unusual incident involving Chopra
Bajpayee remembered how filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra bit her hand while shooting a song for her debut film Kareeb (1998).
"Because Shabana didn't have any film training of that sort, in the song she was raising a different hand altogether... So for her to raise the left hand without forgetting, Vidhu bit her there," he said.
Industry naivety
Raza's confusion and Deol's confirmation of the incident
Bajpayee explained that his wife was new to films back then and didn't know if Chopra's action was right.
"Because she was so new, she didn't know if the action was appropriate. She thought this is the way how filmmakers behave."
"Nobody can do this with me," he added.
Bobby Deol, who starred opposite Raza in Kareeb, had also spoken about this incident in a 2001 interview. He had spoken about how Chopra gave Raza a tough time on set.
Career highlights
Raza's career and notable roles in Bollywood
"Neha had to come down the mountain and give me her left hand. But she kept getting confused. When she couldn't get this right after repeated takes, Vidhu asked her to bite her right hand."
"She did but she still got it wrong...After 20 takes, Vidhu lost his cool...he bit her right hand," Deol recalled.
After Kareeb, Raza also appeared in Fiza, Hogi Pyaar Ki Jeet, and Alli Thandha Vaanam.
Her last film was 2009's Acid Factory.