MUMBAI: Ram Gopal Varma's genre-bending gangster classic "Satya" turned 22 on Friday.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee, who became popular playing Bhiku Mhatre in the film, took to social media to recall how the crime thriller changed his life.

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"And my life changed...! Can't forget the 3rd July 1998 ..monsoon..it was declared a flop and how it turned out to be biggest hit ..ran for 25 weeks..! Satya!!! Edited by Apurva Asrani (19 years then). "Written by Anurag Kashyap (23 years then)and Saurabh shukla."

"Satya" also features Urmila Matondkar, Shefali Shah, Govind Namdev and Saurabh Shukla in important roles, and introduced JD Chakravarthy in the title role of Satya, a smalltown boy who arrives in Mumbai and gradually gets sucked into the world of crime.

The film will always remain special to Manoj as he received a National Award as Best Supporting Actor for his role.

"The 1990s was a dark age of cinema and 'Satya' came right at the end. It was a landmark film of Indian cinema and changed the face of our industry.I always had a dream of achieving National Award. Getting this award means getting into league of legends and big actors. It came as a surprise and I feel fortunate that I did film like 'Satya'," Manoj had told IANS.

(Also read: Manoj Bajpayee: Child trafficking is a blot on society)