Manoj Bajpayee: ‘Envy today’s actors, Irrfan and I had it tough’

As he crosses 100-film milestone, Manoj recalls how he struggled to find meaningful movies in number-obsessed industry; says times have changed for better

Such is The Family Man effect that you can’t talk about it without it bringing a smile to your face. We can almost hear the smile in Manoj Bajpayee’s voice as he speaks about shooting the third season of Raj-DK’s spy thriller. “It’s shaping up great. I don’t want to be flamboyant. All I will say is that each day’s experience is making us feel that the third season will be far bigger and better,” he says.

A still from The Family Man

Bajpayee has another reason to be happy. The actor achieved the milestone of 100 films with Bhaiyya Ji. After its theatrical release in May, the action thriller premièred on ZEE5 last week. Had he hoped for a better box-office outcome? “Let’s not even go by theatre viewing nowadays. It did remarkably well in single screens, but multiplexes didn’t see [high] footfall. That is the case with most films in multiplexes.”

Irrfan and Kay Kay Menon

One’s 100th film can be a good point to pause and assess their career. As he looks back at his three-decade journey in the movies, the actor says that filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s recent words stayed with him. “Bhatt saab said, ‘You achieved all of this even after being so choosy. It’s a great achievement.’ I chose my films with great care. Some of them went wrong, most went right. To complete 100 films in this cut-throat industry is a miracle in itself!”

Sticking to his convictions in an industry that only chases box-office success wasn’t easy. But Bajpayee marched to his own beat, building a robust filmography that boasted Satya (1998), Shool (1999), Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) and Aligarh (2015). Today, he stands as a success story for aspiring actors, who want to headline meaningful stories. “Today’s actors are at an advantage. They have come at a time when things have changed. Be it me, Irrfan or Kay Kay Menon, we had it tough. We somehow navigated and found our way with stories and directors. We took a lot of beating before everything started changing. So, I envy these actors, who have come at a time when the choices are so many.” The beating that Bajpayee took was not only professional. “I couldn’t spend time with my parents, and they passed on. You make these sacrifices when you’re chasing a dream.”

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