Aamir Khan's PK, helmed by Rajkumar Hirani, emerged as a blockbuster. Moviegoers must be remembering how an Alien (Aamir) landed on Earth and misplaced his communication device. The movie narrates the story of how the alien struggles to survive and get back his device. There were several actors in the movie including Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani, Anushka Sharma and Sushant Singh Rajput. But do you remember the beggar from whom PK (Aamir) took money whenever he needed it?
The importance of a character is not judged by the time of screen presence. Even an appearance of 5-seconds on screen can be impactful. Certainly, moviegoers who watched PK must be remembering the blind beggar. Well, did you know, the man was a beggar and his role in PK completely transformed his life?
Manoj Roy played the beggar in the movie but he is not a professional actor. After doing the role of 5-seconds in PK, he became famous. But, before that, he used to beg on the streets of Delhi.
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As per a report in DNA India, Manoj hails from Bedeti in north-central Assam's Sonitpur district. His father was a daily wager and he lost his mother soon after birth. He had to quit school to beg when his daily wager father fell sick and could not run errands. Even though Manoj went to Delhi seeking a job, he could not get one and ended up begging in the streets.
Earlier, during an interview with Hindustan Times, Manoj recalled about how he got the chance to act in PK. He said, "I was a regular at Jantar Mantar. A few months ago, two gentlemen approached me and asked if I could act. I told them acting is what I do to ensure two square meals. They gave me a phone number and a Rs 20 note before leaving."
Manoj admitted that he auditioned for PK in search of free food.
Manoj also shared that he was called for the audition at Nehru Stadium and he beat seven other beggars to bag the role.
"I went the very next day and found myself among members of a film unit. I was taken aside for an audition with seven other beggars, all visually impaired. I cared little about the film or the actors; it was the free food that mattered for a week till my selection," said Manoj.
Further, Manoj said that after he achieved success overnight, he returned to his village with the money he had earned from the film.
"I have a job in a village shop, a Facebook account, and a girlfriend too. People now call me PK Honey Singh. This is all because of the film," he concluded.