Manoj Bajpayee

hi. Bajpayee from an early age aspired to be an actor and after his studies tried his hand at enrolling in the National School of Drama but was rejected four times. Anyhow his constant attempts in theatre paved the way for his entry into cinema into cinema in the year 1994 in Drohkaal.

Entry into cinema ( 1994) Manoj Bajpayee made his debut in Govind Nihalani’s cult crime drama Drohkaal; which starred Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri in the lead roles where Bajapyee appeared in a one-minute passing shot. After which later the same year he went on to play a decoit in the National Award-winning classic Bandit Queen, which too only had him in a short role. In the meanwhile Manoj made his presence felt in the Television industry with serials like Kalakaar and Swabhimaan. After this he went on to be a small part of movies like Dastak, Tamanna and Daud with only a lead role in Govind Nihalani’s Sansodhan in 1996; which was a women-centric movie per se which could not prove vital for Bajpayee. First breakthrough ( 1998 ) Manoj Bajpayee finally received long overdue recognition in Ram Gopal Varma’s (RGV) crime thriller Satya, which had him playing a crucial role for the first time where he was seen as an underworld don alongside J.D Chakravarthy and Urmila Matondkar. The character “Bhiku Mhatre” catapulted Bajapayee’s career prospects as he garnered widespread critical acclaim and instant popularity with the movie panning out to be a major surprise hit of the year 1998 and also going on to be touted as one of the best gangster movies to be made in India. Manoj Bajpayee with his fierce interpretation of the character pretty much had a star transformation overnight and it also won him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor and also the Filmfare Critics’ Awards for Best Actor in the same year thus starting the Array of career-defining performances ( 1999-2002) After a cold detour to Telegu cinema in RGV Prem Katha, Bajpayee yet again joined hands with the Satya team; RGV, Anurag Kashyap and Urmila Matondkar, for the home invasion thriller Kaun, which saw him delivering a standout performance as the doubtful stranger who is misunderstood to be a serial killer after quite a bit of bizarre turn of events by a lonely girl. Bajpayee with his highly nuanced and understated performances turned out to be one of the high points of the movie and the indie thriller attained a cult status for its experimental value, the intriguing mood of the narrative and cherished performances from the lead cast. Shortly after he followed up with the classy political thriller Shool, which was set against the backdrop of criminal political friction in the state of Bihar where he appeared as a cop, which fetched him A Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, in the year 2000. Bajpayee continues his good run with prominent roles in Shyam Benegal’s Zubeidaa, and also played psychopath killers in his next two acclaimed outings Aks and Road in 2001 and 2002 respectively, all of which were revelations for the brilliant actor. Career revival after a major setback ( 2010) Bajpayee however after a National Film Award –Special Jury Award for Pinjar in late 2003 could not repeat his antics in the following years which turned out to be the lowest phase in his career as of then with a huge number of unnoticed flicks like Hanan, Jaago, Fareband supporting roles in a movie like Swami, Dus Kahaniyaan. His sole consolation during the time was the critically acclaimed movies like Bewafaa, Acid Factory and 1971 which kept the boxes ticking for him.Bajpayee in the meanwhile also concentrated more on Telegu language movies like Happy, Puli and Vedam which saw him playing insignificant roles. Career revival in Rajneeti ( 2010- 2012) After a string of unsuccessful outings Bajpayee finally got some respite in Prakash Jha’s ensemble political drama, which incidentally had the lead five characters with striking similarities to the characters of the epic Mahabharata, with Bajpayee playing Duryodhana’s counterpart in the fictional modern-day retelling of the political environment in India. The movie was a super hit and reinstalled Bajpayee’s mainstream credentials. The year 2010 saw Bajpayee rendering his voice for “Rama” in the animated version of the epic in Ramayana: The Epic, the animated film. After the forgettable Dus Tola, Bhajpayee played a negative character in Aarakshan which too went on to be a low farer at the box office with mostly mixed reviews. Bajpayee’s magnum opus Gangs Of Wasseypur part 1 in the year 2012 was a tremendous turnaround for him as the movie had him coming up with a career-defining performance as “Sardar Khan”, the villager in search of retribution for his father’s killing. Anurag Kashyap’s modern-day masterpiece which was released in two parts owing to the extensive length of the first print, the movie was a revival project for Bajpayee as his gritty, sinister and profound rendition of the character made it a huge critical hit and also made his name known even in the international film festivals with repeated screenings of the classic. Recent flicks Manjo Bajpayee’s recent next releases were the biopic on the wonder kid Budhia Singh, the world’s youngest marathon runner. Where Bajpayee appeared as his coach. The ensemble comedy Saat Uchakkey also had him in the lead. The year 2016 also saw him in two short films “Ouch” and “Kriti” both of which were trendsetters on social media. His upcoming 2017 release is the third instalment of the hit Sarkar 3 trilogy starring Amitabh Bachchan, and Jackie Shroff in the lead.