‘Men don’t cry is a lie’: Jaideep Ahlawat tears up while calling Manoj Bajpayee a ‘chalta-phirta institute’

Manoj Bajpayee and Jaideep Ahlawat turned a promotional interview into headline-worthy entertainment, mixing sharp humour with genuine emotion as they spoke about their long-standing bond and their upcoming on-screen clash in The Family Man 3. The two actors, known for leading two of India’s most acclaimed streaming shows, will finally share intense screen time as Bajpayee’s Srikant Tiwari confronts Ahlawat’s menacing drug lord Rukma.

Their dynamic off-screen, however, is the opposite of their characters. Bajpayee and Jaideep have known each other for more than a decade, beginning with Bedabrata Pain’s Chittagong in 2012, followed by their work in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur. That collaboration created a deep mutual respect that continues to shape how they view each other’s craft. Despite playing adversaries and inhabiting opposite ends of cinematic worlds, their personal rapport is built on admiration, shared learning, and an easy, unfiltered sense of humour.

That humour exploded during a conversation with SCREEN when the cast and crew were asked which Manoj Bajpayee film they would recommend to “someone who has been living under a rock for 25 years.” Before anyone else could respond, Jaideep took over the moment with a dramatic outburst that instantly went viral. “Main toh maarunga pakad ke! Why would I recommend? Tum jeene layak nahi ho be****d, maro!” he declared, leaving Bajpayee and the entire room gasping and laughing at the same time. As the laughter continued, he pushed the joke even further: “I would recommend: Die! I like the way you die, bro!” The panel unanimously labelled it the day’s biggest mic-drop moment.

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