Manoj Tiwari used to do TV shows for regional TV channel Sahara Samay when Pankaj Shukla, who was then programming head for national news channel Zee News, recognized his talent and made first national TV show of Manoj Tiwari, "Vote For Khaderan." Manoj used to wait for hours to meet him, and when Pankaj Shukla decided to make his first feature film, his first choice for the lead role was Manoj Tiwari.
