I haven’t even started out in the industry: Manoj Bajpayee breaks his silence on not winning a National Award for Aligarh

Actor Manoj Bajpayee was a strong contender for the Best Male Actor National Award for his film Aligarh, this year. The award however went to Akshay Kumar for Rustom, leaving many shocked.

akshay kumar, manoj bajpayee, akshay kumar manoj bajpayee,

Manoj Bajpayee who had avoided speaking on the National Award controversy so far, has finally opened up recently.

When Akshay Kumar won the National Award for the first time in his career this year, many voiced opposition and said that Manoj Bajpayee was the most deserving candidate for his role in Aligarh. The actor who had avoided speaking on this so far, has finally opened up during an interview with HT Cafe.

“I feel I haven’t even started out in the industry. This is not a flamboyant statement, it is a statement from a person who feels he should have utilised 75% of his talent by now. The actor in me still feels that I am using only 25% of my ability. I am constantly looking forward to working with a new director, good narrative, portraying new unique roles and that is why I feel this way,” said Manoj Bajpayee to HT Cafe.

“I have given my 100% to every project but in the past five years things have changed drastically and they have changed for good. So you feel that it is the best time to be a part of the movie industry and give as much as you can,” he added.

Story continues below this ad

Also read: Vinod Khanna wanted to visit Peshawar, see his ancestral home

The actor will soon start his new project Aiyaari, where he will be sharing the screen with Sidharth Malhotra for the first time. The film will be directed by Neeraj Pandey and will go on floors in May.

Earlier this month, at another event, Akshay Kumar too had spoken about winning the National Award, putting to rest all the rumours that the head of jury and filmmaker Priyadarshan had a role in Akshay’s win. The actor-director have done six films so far.

“I have been working in the film industry for the last 25 years and I have noticed that everytime whoever wins a National Award, the debate starts on who is deserving to win the award. I got it after 25 years. If you think I don’t deserve it, you can take it away,” Akshay had said.

Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.

The nuns from Kerala were arrested last Friday at the Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh.

Kerala nuns arrested in Chhattisgarh in ‘forceful conversion’ case granted bail

India1 hr ago

Three people, including two Kerala nuns, were arrested in Chhattisgarh for forced conversion and human trafficking. They were granted bail by an NIA court in Bilaspur after a sessions court disposed of their bail application. The arrests were made following a complaint by a Bajrang Dal worker who alleged that the accused were trying to traffic three women after forcibly converting them.

View all shorts

More Entertainment

Entertainment Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi’s Dhadak 2 seethes with the rage of filmmaker Shazia Iqbal