Manoj Bajpayee recalls being ignored by a journalist; Requests, “Don’t do this with anyone else”

Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee is regarded as one of the most talented actors the industry has seen. He has repeatedly proved his worth with films like Satya (1998), Shool (1999), Kaun (1999), Aks (2001), 1971 (2007), Raajneeti (2010), Gangs Of Wasseypur series (2012), Special 26 (2013), Aligarh (2016) etc.

However, unlike every other actor, even Bajpayee has seen highs and lows in his career. During a recent interaction with radio host Siddharth Kannan, the 52-year-old actor recalled a time when he was ignored by a journalist at an event.

The incident took place some years ago when he was ‘going through a very rough patch in his career, informed Manoj. He also added that while it ‘bit’ him for a couple of seconds, he quickly realised that he is ‘not content’ for the journalist and accepted it. He further added that one should embrace failure in the same way as one does success.

Recounting the episode, Manoj said that he was at an event and a certain journalist was present there, capturing the guests on video and talking to them. 

“I was going through a very rough patch at that time. Saare journalists bhi gayab ho gaye the, offers toh gayab ho hi gaye the (Not only did the offers disappear but the journalists too),” he said, telling the interviewer to not do what the journalist did with him, with anyone else. “Aisa please mat karna kisi ke saath, bhaiya, bohot bura lagta hai (Don’t do this with anyone else, it feels really bad).”

“Jab main apne aap ko taiyaar kar raha hoon ki bhai ab yeh mujhse baat karega (When I was getting myself ready to talk to him), he turned his back to me as if he didn’t see me and he told the cameraman, ‘Yeah, yeah, that’s alright. Just switch it off now’. It kind of bit me for five seconds. After that I realised, nahi hai, ab woh samay chala gaya tera (your time has gone), you are not content for him. And I moved on. But I always remember that, not for any other reason but that when failure or downfall comes, you should be ready to accept it, embrace it as you embrace and accept your success. You should have the ability to treat it in the same fashion, as a part of your life,” he added.

Manoj Bajpayee’s career got a tremendous boost with the web series, The Family Man. The first season, released in September 2019, was a runaway success with Manoj getting a lot of accolades for his terrific portrayal of secret agent, Srikant Tiwari.

The series features him essaying the character of a spy who is juggling between the demands of his profession as well as life as a middle-class man. A third season has already been greenlit.