When Sanjay Mishra said ‘money’ was the only reason he did Office Office: ‘Couldn’t tell landlord I’d rejected the role’

Sanjay Mishra has gone from playing character roles to a lead in a movie produced by Shah Rukh Khan. The actor, who was born on October 6 in Darbhanga, Bihar, celebrates his 58th birthday today. 

He found fame after playing the character Shukla in the hit sitcom Office Office, but did you know that the actor once admitted that he did the show only for money?

In an interview with Mumbai Mirror last year, he revealed, “Those struggling in the film industry often hunt for a TV show while they are doing a film. And this is from the need for money. TV brings in a fixed amount weekly. And money was my only reason to sign the famous television sitcom Office Office.”

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The NSD alumnus also added, “After two days of shoot I had developed interest in the show. I realised that it was written very well. It had a supremely talented bunch of actors. Contemporary work in the humour genre is rare on TV today. People should watch the reruns to know what actual comedy is, especially during the crucial period of lockdown. There was no vision before joining the show. Motivation to perform the role, was thought of after signing it (laughs). Iss mahine ka kiraya dena hai bhai (I need to pay my monthly rent to my landlord) I cannot go to the landlord and tell him that I refused the role because I didn’t like it. For me, it was to grab the role and then look at motivation.”

Sanjay started his acting career with the 1995 film Oh Darling! Yeh Hai India! Since then, he has done several TV shows and movies, portraying a wide variety of characters. His character in the show Office Office became extremely popular among the masses.