Mumbai, Nov 5 : As the cult classic film 'Shool' turned 25 in Hindi cinema, acclaimed star Manoj Bajpayee said that the film's journey was born out of 'pure passion, grit, and unwavering faith.'

Manoj took to Instagram, where he shared a string of pictures capturing moments from the action crime film, which was released in 1999. The film over the years gained the cult classic status.

The pictures also have images of Ram Gopal Varma, whom the actor tagged as a 'visionary' along with the posters of the film starring Raveena Tandon.

He wrote: '25 years of Shool, a journey born out of pure passion, grit, and unwavering faith. Working with the visionary @RGVzoomin was nothing short of inspiring. His belief in me to carry this story on my shoulders meant everything, especially at a time when few would take that chance.'

'Thank you, RGV, for trusting me, guiding us, and creating a film that would resonate across generations.'

He went on to thank director Eeshwar Nivas for bringing intensity to the scenes.

'A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated director @eniwas, who brought intensity to every scene, and to @anuragkashyap10 for his raw, powerful writing. And to my incredible co-stars @officialraveenatandon, @sayaji shinde, @TheShilpaShetty, @nawazuddin. siddiqui, @vineet ksofficial, @virendrasaxenna07, @iyashpalsharma, and @rajpalofficial, the entire cast whose talent and energy made this experience unforgettable,' he mentioned.

'Shool wouldn't be the same without each of you. Special cheers to @shankarehsaanloyfor their unforgettable music and to my friend @sandychow44 for a background score that brought so much heart to every scene,' added the actor.

Calling it 'timeless cinema', he wrote: 'To everyone who's embraced Shool as a cult classic, this milestone is as much yours as it is ours. Here's to timeless cinema. #Shool25.'

'Shool' portrays the politician-criminal nexus and the criminalisation of politics in Bihar and its effect on the life of an honest police officer. It stars Manoj Bajpayee as Inspector Samar Pratap Singh and Sayaji Shinde as the criminal-politician Bachhu Yadav.

The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. 'Shool' was featured at the International Film Festival of India and the Toronto International Film Festival.

/IANS