Manoj Bajpayee is an actor par excellence and there are no two opinions about it. The National Award winning actor is right now basking in the glory coming his way after the release of his highly awaited web series The Family Man 2. However, the actor reminisced about a time when he was snubbed by a journalist at an event when he had hit a lull in his career. The incident took place some years ago when Manoj was ‘going through a very rough patch’ in his career.
Speaking to radio host Siddharth Kannan, Manoj said that he was at an event and a certain journalist was present there capturing the guests on video and talking to them but completely ignored him. Recalling the incident, the actor said, “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). Aisa please mat karna kisi ke saath, bhaiya, bohot bura lagta hai (Don’t do this with anyone else, it feels really bad).”
Manoj Bajpayee in 'The Family Man 2'
He further said, “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 bhai, 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.”
Meanwhile, on the work front, Manoj has already generated huge buzz with his character Srikant Tiwari in the second season of The Family Man 2, where he plays a spy who juggles between the demands of his profession as well as his responsibilities as a father and husband. A third season has already been greenlit. He will also be seen in Netflix anthology Ray.
(Source: Siddharth Kannan)