Assam youth's five Second Shot to PK Fame Beggars Description

GUWAHATI: From a street beggar to a virtual celebrity, life has, indeed, come a full circle for Assam youth Manoj Roy __ courtesy “PK”.

Manoj was chosen from eight beggars for a scene in the Aamir Khan-starrer, which is set for release on Friday. Aided by a stick, as he stands by the roadside to beg, Aamir comes to him dancing and steals some coins from his begging bowl. The scene lasts for about five seconds, but it was enough to shoot Manoj to fame overnight.

Born at Bedeti in northern Assam’s Sonitpur district and son of a daily-wage earner, Manoj lost his mother when he was all of four days old. He dropped out of school when he was in Class V and chose to beg to eke out a living.

“My father would often fall sick. Not knowing what to do, I left for Delhi and started begging at  Jantar Mantar, pretending I was blind. One day, two gentlemen came calling asking me if I knew acting. I said it was acting that is giving me two square meals. They gave me `20 and aphone number before leaving. When I called up, I was asked to go to Nehru Stadium. The next day, when I reached the stadium, I found myself in a crowd, all members of the film unit. I was taken to a place for audition where I saw seven other beggars, all blind. I knew nothing about the film or the actors involved.

If anything, it was food, offered for free, that drew me there for six to seven days till my selection,” Manoj said.

He said he could not believe his eyes when he was accommodated in a five-star hotel in Delhi.

“In the slums, scarcity of water forced me to go without a bath for days together. But at the hotel, I could cool off my heels in the swimming pool. I could also rub shoulders with Aamir and Anushka Sharma. I still cannot believe those days,” Manoj said.

With the money that he earned by acting in the film, he went to Mumbai and stayed there for some days before visiting his native village.

“Back home, I got a hero’s welcome. The promo was enough to win hearts. People now call me PK Honey Singh. I have  a Facebook account and a job in a village shop. Also a girlfriend. I will meet her for the first time on Christmas. It’s all because of Aamir Khan,” Manoj said with a chuckle. “I am now looking forward to acting in Assamese and Bengali movies,” he added.