Gajraj Rao Meets Shekhar Kapur, Thanks Him for 'Bandit Queen' Role

On Monday, Gajraj took to his official Insta handle and posted photos with the filmmaker.

Expressing his gratitude to the director for playing a significant role in his cinematic journey, the 'Badhaai Ho' actor admitted that the role of Ashok Chand in "Bandit Queen" effectively changed the course of his life.

"Thank you, Shekhar ji for everything. Love you, Shekhar ji. Three decades ago, he gave me a small part in his milestone film Bandit Queen. That small yet significant role of Ashok Chand changed the course of my life. I will always remain grateful to the master filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. (sic)," Gajraj wrote on the photo-sharing app.

The veteran actor shared that Shekhar met him with the same warmth as he had 3 decades ago.

Gajraj said that the 'Masoom' maker had the same compassion and wisdom in his eyes as a Sufi saint.

"Fate was kind again today-I met him by chance at Soho House Mumbai. Took his blessings. He was just as affectionate and warm as he was when I worked with him over 30 years ago. There is compassion and wisdom in his eyes... almost like a Sufi saint, a darvesh. Thank you, Shekhar ji for everything . Love you, Shekhar ji. #gratitude @shekharkapur #banditqueen #lifeofanactor #leagend," he went on to add.

"Bandit Queen" is based on the life of Phoolan Devi, inspired by the book "India's Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi" by Mala Sen.

With Seema Biswas as the lead, the project also starred Nirmal Pandey, Aditya Srivastava, Saurabh Shukla, Manoj Bajpayee, Raghuvir Yadav, Rajesh Vivek, Anirudh Agarwal, and Govind Namdev in prominent roles.

Backed by Kaleidoscope Entertainment and Film Four International, "Bandit Queen" was released on 26 January 1994.

- IANS