Actor Manoj Tiwari (right) with wrestler The Great Khali at Dhiraina village in Himachal Pradesh. Telegraph picture

Patna, Oct. 28: Bhojpuri singer-turned-actor Manoj Tiwari met World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestler The Great Khali at Dhiraina village in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh yesterday and offered him a role in a Bhojpuri film. The wrestler neither denied nor accepted the offer but sought some time to think over it.

The duo got friendly while being contestants in Bigg Boss Season 4. At that time too, Manoj had asked Khali to act in a Bhojpuri film, but Khali left for the US after the show. Khali returned to India on October 20 and invited Manoj to take part in a religious function at his village home.

Manoj took sweets for Khali and his family members all the way from Varanasi. “He was very happy to receive the sweets from the city of ghats and thanked me. His family members also accorded me a warm welcome. It was a moment of joy and celebration when he hugged me with his gigantic arms,” said Manoj, talking to The Telegraph over the telephone from Himachal Pradesh today.

Khali invited Manoj to perform at his village. “He only asked me to visit his house and requested me to sing some religious songs at the jagran last night along with some Bhojpuri numbers. I was overwhelmed to see the crowd response and they held me in the air for some time. I was wondering that how come the people of Himachal Pradesh know me so well. Later, I got to know that during the Bigg Boss show, the villagers used to watch Khali and me,” said Manoj.

Asking about Manoj’s closeness with Khali, the actor-singer replied: “There are quite a few similarities between us. First, we come from a village background. Both of us have achieved success in our lives with hard work and struggle. Secondly, even though he is an international star, he has always remained a soft person when it comes to helping somebody. I realised this during the time I spent with him on the Bigg Boss show.”

When we were in Bigg Boss, I tried to make Khali sing some Bhojpuri songs without success. But he made a good try. The way I have visited his house, I hope he will visit Bihar too. I have invited him to Bihar and he has assured me that he would love to see my state very soon. As I am constructing a cricket temple at my village, I have invited him to attend the inaugural function,” said Manoj.

This is the first time in a decade that Khali celebrated Diwali with this family members after joining the wrestling profession.