Divya Dutta praises co-star Manoj Bajpayee for treating newcomers as equals

Actor Divya Dutta says working with Manoj Bajpayee leaves one spoiled because of his simple nature and habit of treating newcomers as equals on set. The two actors finally shared screen space in two projects this year, The Last Man and Netflix's crime drama Gajab Raat, after appearing in four previous films together without sharing scenes. Divya plays a shrewd politician in the project directed by Neeraj Pandey.

Behind The Scenes

Divya revealed that Manoj has a knack for cooking food for his colleagues with love, though nothing was cooked by him on set during this shoot. He did, however, take the team out for a dinner where they had a great time to make up for days when they were not on set together. Divya said her reasons for saying yes to the project were Neeraj Pandey, Manoj Bajpayee, and Netflix. She noted that she just hands over her dates to Neeraj without asking questions because she trusts his thrill and twists.

Industry Thoughts

Addressing the film industry, Divya agreed that it remains male-dominated while pointing out that efforts are underway to produce story-driven films like Laapataa Ladies and Hanuman Ansh. She stated that good storytelling combined with proper marketing brings audiences to theatres. Gajab Raat is directed by Ritesh Shah and streams on Netflix.

Context

Actors often build long careers crossing paths in multiple ensemble casts before finally acting in direct scenes together. Collaborations with trusted directors and streaming platforms like Netflix have become a major part of modern Indian entertainment production. Strong word-of-mouth and distinct storytelling continue to shape how films find success with audiences today.