Manoj Bajpayee on his life’s darkest phase, was ill often and had no work: ‘I was chased away, abused’

He recalled how he questioned his acting abilities and thought that everyone who was complimenting his acting, were making fun of him. “So when you start doubting yourself, that’s the worst phase. This was the most difficult, when I kept looking in myself to see if I was good enough to act. I used to be ill frequently, and there was no money. I used to go to production sets and get chased away with abuses. I was an outsider. Finally, after much talking, I found roles,” adding that this was how he got the role in Satya.

He recalled how Ram Gopal Varma had noticed him in Bandit Queen when no one else had. “He noticed my performance during a private screening, ironically when no one else in the world had cared. Everyone in Bandit Queen got offers, except for me. Years later, I was taken to Ram Gopal Varma for Daud as a henchmen role, he got up from his seat and said, “I’ve been looking for you for years, where were you?” Manoj attributes this to luck.

Manoj said that there were several bad phases, including the one after Pinjar, where ‘no one came near him’ and how he was shunned by most. “Nobody was offering me anything. The films, today that are considered my best, didn’t work at the box office at the time. In our industry, a terrible film can become a hit—and then there will be the same pattern of films. But a good one will not do business at the box office, and actors have to sit at home. When I used to go for functions—and believe me I’ve experienced it—cameramen, reporters and anchors, would just turn the mic and not even turn towards me.”

However, he asserts that he did not take it personally, as he knew that he just needed ‘one role’ to come back. “And that was Rajneeti. I knew that if this worked, I could make a good comeback—and I would be back in the reckoning, and that’s what happened. I knew that it had the ingredients for a super hit. ” Rajneeti, a political thriller, starred Manoj Bajpayee, along with Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif.

Manoj Bajpayee witnessed a further revival of sorts with the Gangs of Wasseypur franchise, directed by Anurag Kashyap. Recently, he starred in the critically acclaimed The Family Man, which is gearing up for its third season, as well as the family drama Gulmohar, featuring Sharmila Tagore.