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Manoj Bajpayee revealed that director Vidhu Vinod Chopra once bit his wife Shabana Raza's hand on Kareeb's set after she repeatedly used the wrong hand in a song. Manoj said, "Nobody can do this with me," explaining that his wife, new to the industry, didn't know if the action was appropriate and initially thought this was how filmmakers usually behaved.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee once shared an incident involving his wife Shabana Raza, professionally known as Neha Bajpai. Neha, who acted until 2009 before stepping away from films, made her debut in the 1998 film Kareeb opposite Bobby Deol. Manoj recalled how, during her early acting days, filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra bit her hand on set.

When Vidhu Vinod Chopra Bit Manoj Bajpayee's Wife Shabana Raza's Hand

Speaking to Mid-Day, Bajpayee clarified that his wife did not quit films voluntarily but stopped getting work due to the politics in the industry, especially since she was an outsider without a mentor. He also recalled the incident where Vidhu bit her hand, explaining that during a song in Kareeb, Shabana, lacking formal film training, had raised the wrong hand.

He added, "In the scene, she was supposed to raise her left hand, but she would end up raising her right hand… so for her to raise the left hand without forgetting, Vidhu bit her there. Nobody can do this with me.”

'She Didn't Know If Action Was Appropriate'

Manoj shared that his wife was so new to the industry that she didn't know whether the action was appropriate, adding that she initially thought this was how filmmakers usually behaved. "She must have thought they are all mad genuises, they are capable of doing anything they want," he added.

'Vidhu Bit Shabana's right hand, I Was Shocked To React': Bobby Deol

In a 2001 interview with Filmfare, Bobby shared how Vidhu, who had 'discovered' Shabana in Delhi, gave her a tough time on set. He recalled that Vidhu would often yell at her and described one scene where Shabana had to come down the mountain and extend her left hand. She repeatedly got confused, and after multiple takes, Vidhu reportedly asked her to bite her right hand.

"She did but she still got it wrong in the next take. After 20 takes, Vidhu lost his cool. And you know what he did? He bit her right hand. I was too shocked to react," added Deol.