Manoj Bajpayee celebrates his birthday today. The actor has grown in stature both on the big screen and on Television, and is a force to reckon with in India’s entertainment industry right now.
Shekhar Kapur, who gave Manoj his first on-camera acting break, remembered how his silence intrigued him to cast him for the role of Man Singh in the dacoit drama. “When I first met Manoj, I was looking for a very quiet man who would be able to perform with very small gestures. When I explained the character to him, I said this man was the total opposite of Vikram Mallah who was the other lover. He was solid, almost like a father figure. When Manoj started to perform and he talked to me, I congratulated myself for casting him as he was exactly the one I wanted.
Manoj Bajpayee, gets a big pat from Shekhar Kapoor and Mahesh Bhatt
Later, when I saw Manoj in Satya, I realised what a good actor he is. He had convinced me with his character – a quiet, strong, silent figure, and I thought that’s how he is. He fooled me. I’ve been wondering when I’ll get to work with Manoj again,” Kapur said in Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai.
The popular performer has carved a niche for himself and has experimented with roles on various mediums, starting off with Shekhar Kapur’s classic film Bandit Queen (1994). He followed it up with a stint on television in Mahesh Bhatt directed Swabhimaan (1995), until finding his place in Bollywood.
In a career spanning over 25 years Manoj Bajpayee gave us memorable characters in both critically and commercially successful films. While his Bhiku Mhatre in Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya got him his first National Award, his Sardar Khan in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur set the tone of the entire franchise.
Manoj has managed to impress in films like Shool, Zubeidaa, Pinjar, 1971, Swami, Raajneeti, Special 26, Aligarh, Gali Guleiyan, Bhonsle and others. More recently, he’s been ruling the digital space too, receiving praise for playing spy agent Srikant Tiwari in Amazon Prime Video series The Family Man.
As the actor turns 52 today, we look back at the special episode of Faaroq Shaikh hosted celebrity talk show Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai, where ace filmmakers Mahesh Bhatt, Shekhar Kapur and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra talked about working with Manoj early in his career.
Recalling a scene performed by Manoj, Bhatt said, “I saw Manoj for the first time in my editing room. He performed a stunning scene where he was drunk. It was a tough scene, and he just went on and on. His body language, his style was so refreshing that I was mesmerised. I wondered who this guy was. Then I recalled Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen where he played a very muted role, who wasn’t as flourished as the other roles. I called for that guy, who came as a very shy, reserved and under confident. Then I just fell in love with him.”
Filmykeema wishes the actor a very happy birthday