Manoj Bajpayee has a simple way of explaining why Divya Dutta keeps becoming the moment in their films: she takes over a scene before the audience registers it happening.
The two actors have shared screen history in Veer-Zaara and Special 26, but their recent run together – first in Last Man in Tower, now in Netflix’s Gajab Raat – has returned their chemistry to the conversation. For Dutta, that on-screen reunion was a long-held wish. She has said that whenever she was asked which actor she wanted to collaborate with, Bajpayee’s name would top the list.
A mutual admiration
Bajpayee returned the compliment in full. He called Dutta a “fabulous and passionate actor” and said she is finally receiving the kind of opportunities that let her talent surface. He pointed to scenes in both Last Man in Tower and Gajab Raat as evidence of what she can do.
“If you watch some scenes of Last Man in Tower and even of Gajab Raat, you get to know what ability she has. She is very powerful,” Bajpayee said.
Why he calls her a ‘chor’
Then he sharpened the praise with a joke. Bajpayee described Dutta as a “thief” because she walks away with whichever scene she is in. “Divya Dutta sab chura leti hai. Chor hai woh,” he said. In industry terms, it is one of the warmest compliments a co-actor can offer: she commands the frame without leaving the scene smaller for anyone else.
The trailer held something back
He also revealed that the makers of Gajab Raat deliberately kept much of Dutta’s character out of the trailer. It was not about hiding a weak link; it was about preserving a reveal. Bajpayee said the role offers a refreshing surprise and shows Dutta in a distinctly different light.
That is a familiar streaming-era tactic. On a platform such as Netflix, the gap between trailer and viewing can be seconds, so holding back a character reveal helps protect the discovery moment. Audiences can press play before the internet has mapped out every beat of the story.
What to take from this
- Gajab Raat reunites Bajpayee and Dutta after Last Man in Tower, backed by a longer screen history that includes Veer-Zaara and Special 26.
- The film is being sold as a surprise, not a summary: Dutta’s character was intentionally left out of the trailer.
- Gajab Raat is streaming now on Netflix for anyone who wants to judge the scene-stealing for themselves.
For Hindi cinema fans, the exchange is a reminder of how much a strong co-actor elevates a scene. Calling someone a “chor” was not about screen time; it was about what an actor does with the moments they are given. It also reframes Gajab Raat from just another streaming title into a pairing fans have reason to seek out.
Source: Filmibeat