The actor, who turned 50 on Tuesday, feels that he still has a long way to go.
“I am not Padma Shri Manoj Bajpayee. I am Manoj Bajpayee, an outsider who saw dreams and stayed on the fringes of Mumbai, and worked day and night to get work. For my contribution to Hindi cinema, I was felicitated with Padma Shri. I am happy to get such an honour but it does not mean I will stick around it only,” Manoj said.
“It is important to move on from the laurels of the past. I can’t let success go to my head. These awards inspire me to do more hard work each day. There’s a lot more to do. I am still exploring,” added the actor, who completed 25 years in the Indian film industry earlier this year.
On hitting the golden jubilee of his life, Manoj said: “I do party every year, but it used to be small. This time, it would be a little big. I will invite my colleagues from theatre and film industries.” He started his film journey with a blink-and-miss role in 1994’s film Droh Kaal. His initial journey in Bollywood was full of struggle and hardship. But it was his dedication that helped him make a mark in his career. He rose to fame with his role of a gangster in Satya.
Looking back at his struggling days, Manoj said with time he has become more calm as a person.
“I am a completely different person now. Now I know how to channelise my anger and how to deal with odd and uncomfortable situations. Struggle teaches you a lot of things.”
On the work front, Manoj is now looking forward to the release of his web show The Family Man. Talking about the web space, Manoj said: “Digital era is getting bigger day by day. It’s a good thing that a lot of new talent is getting consumed but it is important that we should do complete justice to the content,” he added
