Manoj Bajpayee says every political party has offered him a ticket: ‘Mere andar se kabhi aawaz nahi aayi’

Manoj Bajpayee is one of the few actors who doesn’t shy away from making political statements via his films. In a recent chat, Manoj was asked if he has any plans of joining politics and the actor revealed that for the past 24 years, he has been courted by many parties to join them.

“Since the past 24 years, I am being offered,” he told ANI. Manoj said that every political party in India, except for the ones that are based out of the southern states, have offered him a spot but he has humbly refused all of them. He said, “Mere andar se kabhi awaaz nahi aayi, kabhi bhi nahi. Har party ne mujhe approach kiya hai. Hindustan mein bas unn parties ne approach nahi kia jo south mein hain, nahi toh har dal ne mujhe approach kia. Bade vinamrta ke sath sabko mana kia maine. Uska kaaran sirf itna hai ki mera yeh kaam chhod ke aur kisi mein dil hi nahi lagta (I never got that feeling from within. Every party has approached me, except for the ones in the south. Very humbly, I refused them all. The only reason for that is that I don’t feel like doing anything but act).”

Manoj said that even when he goes for a vacation, he can’t wait to get back so he can start working on his craft. “Main kisi bhi jagah chhutti manane bhi jata hun toh vapis aa jata hun kyunki mujhe fir se character pe kaam karna, uske process mein jana, uske liye sari tayari karna, unn sab chgeezon pe mera mann laga rehta hai (Even when I go for a vacation, I come back because I enjoy working on my characters, the process that comes with it, I enjoy all of that).”

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He added that the day this “excitement” ends, he will shift somewhere else. He said, “Mujhe lagta hai jis din voh excitement khatam ho jayega, main fir kisi aur jagah shift ho jaunga. Shayad gaaon mein, shayad pahadoin mein. (The day this excitement ends, I’ll shift somewhere else. May be in my village, may be in the mountains.)”

Manoj first gained popularity after he appeared in Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya in 1998, which released 24 years ago.