Manoj Bajpayee’s journey in Bollywood has not been good at all. An outsider who entered show business through Delhi’s theater circuit, Manoj had to wait for four years and play several roles before he got his much-needed breakthrough. However, when it comes – with Satya by Ram Gopal Varma – not only defined his career but also changed the direction of Bollywood, ultimately becoming one of the most influential Indian films of all time. Since then, Manoj has appeared in a number of films, both independent and mainstream, in all different languages, strengthening his reputation and even winning the National Film Award for Best Actor.
Although the commercial and critical success of Satya brought him national acclaim, apart from earning him a National Film Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Manoj initially found it difficult to adjust to the sudden attention and success. He recently admitted that, for a while after Satya, he felt out of place in a five-star hotel, suffering from the feeling of impostor syndrome. “It was Akshaye Khanna who said, ‘Manoj, why do you feel so guilty about your success? Carry it.’ When I was sitting in my car, I felt like I was sitting in someone else’s car,” he said while talking to At noon.
Read Also | Manoj Bajpayee told Sushant Singh Rajput ‘yeh jaan maar denge tumhari’, advising him to develop a tough skin if he wants to survive in Bollywood.
“It’s been a long time since you’ve seen all this that you’re not used to. People ask me, ‘Are you comfortable with the attention you’re getting?’ No, how can I be? I am good and decent to them, expect me to be free? No, I had ignored that for 25 years. (When I became a star) everyone else had been stars for 30 years or more. They wouldn’t know otherwise,” he added.
In 2024, Manoj appeared in five projects, including broadcast series, most of which were released directly on OTT platforms. Among them was The Fable, which premiered at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival and is awaiting public release. He also starred in the Netflix black comedy crime thriller series The Killing Soupand Konkona Sen Sharma. Some of his films Silence 2: The Night Owl Shootout, Bhaiyya Ji again Shipping.
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