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People can't complain about nepotism by just sitting : Manoj Bajpayee

If you have the skills, you may have to struggle but success can be yours, says actor Manoj Bajpayee who hails from a small town in Bihar, shifted to Delhi to study and then moved to Mumbai to make a mark.


If you have the skills, you may have to struggle but success can be yours, says actor Manoj Bajpayee who hails from a small town in Bihar, shifted to Delhi to study and then moved to Mumbai to make a mark.

"You can't complain about nepotism by just sitting in a small town. Come to Bombay, start struggling, do theatre and learn some skills. If one has to compete with film industry children, you really have to be good. It is skilled versus opportunities, and I feel skills matter the most," Manoj told IANS here.

The 49-year-old actor's initial journey in Bollywood was full of struggle and hardships. But it was his dedication which helped him to achieve heights in his career.

Manoj said: "After doing 'Bandit Queen', I shifted to Mumbai and living in Mumbai was not easy. I was not getting work. People were not believing in my abilities. I felt dejected and started doubting my capabilities.

"I was not having any work, I started feeling that my theatre work was just a fluke. But I didn't quit. I got up, started knocking at the doors and worked on my skills."

After "Bandit Queen" the actor did crime thriller "Satya" for which he got immense fame and also his first National Award.

For Manoj, getting a National Award was always his big dream.

He said: "The 1990s was a dark age of cinema and 'Satya' came right at the end. It was a landmark film of Indian cinema and changed the face of our industry.

"I always had a dream of achieving National Award. Getting this award means getting into league of legends and big actors. It came as a surprise and I feel fortunate that I did film like 'Satya'."

Manoj is here for the ongoing Dharamshala International Film Festival, where his "Bhonsle" will be screened. He engaged in a discussion on films and about his "ideal way of direction" during a session titled 'Manoj Bajpayee and the Art of Acting' with senior journalist and writer Aseem Chabbra here.

"When I am in front of the camera, I just want to be left alone. I want to be observed by my director. If I am really going wrong, then I want my director to counter me. Sometimes, directors give too much information during the shots which I feel disturbing. I like to be briefed before the shots," he added.



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Bandit Queen

Comments (2)

@myviewprem that's not necessarily true... from everything I've seen of Manoj Bajpai, he wasn't attractive back in the 1990s (at least, not in a romantic hero way) and he also did not give off the macho, angry young man vibe either. Let's face it, most mainstream Bollywood heroes get by on their looks. In fact, I think that is the major issue in Bollywood, not nepotism. Like Siddharth Malhotra acts with all the ability of a wooden plank IMO, but if he's taking off his shirt and crap in a movie, it'll be a hit. Same with people like Tiger Shroff, he is a great dancer and martial artist, so he gets stupid "blockbuster" movies where he's showing off his abs, fighting bad guys, and dancing with some attractive heroine.

5 years ago

You are a fabulous actor but if you were star kid you would get hero's role in 1990s instead of working on TV, doing side characters in movies than becoming hero and back to character roles. Thats nepotism it has nothing to do with hard work actually. Everyone works hard usually once they get a job in a country like india where for every SRK one crore other inspiring actors never get opportunity because competition is more compared to other nations. But people whose family can influence get jobs even if they are not fit for that position. Thats major reason quality of movies in bollywood is pathetic compared to other country films. Lyrics are childish, no melody in music, bad dialogues and even more pathetic actors thats what audience are getting because of nepotism. Just think how many heroes or heroines of today would survive on merit of acting?

5 years ago

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