Manoj Bajpayee Reveals He Suffered Suicidal Thoughts During His Struggling Days
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After the untimely passing of Sushant Singh Rajput, the topic of Nepotism was brought forth into the limelight once more. While every industry does suffer from nepotism, it seems like the film industry has always been the “loudest” about it. The concept of “star kids” and “outsiders” came into the debate, with many accusing star kids of using their connections to gain an upper hand in the industry. Manoj Bajpayee was an outsider. Raised in Bihar among five siblings and a farmer father, Manoj Bajpayee had dreams of wanting to be an actor since the ripe young age of nine! Here’s the actor’s extraordinary story:
Small Town Boy, Big Town Dreams
Unlike many actors out there, Manoj Bajpayee believed he didn’t have the “the ideal hero face”. He spoke about being a huge fan of legendary actor Amitabh Bachhan, adding that he would always visit the theatre in the city. You see, Manoj Bajpayee wanted to be an actor just like his idol Amitabh Bachchan. He stated that he knew he was destined to be an actor since he was 9 years of age. However, he didn’t; reveal his dreams of acting to his family as he knew that they were not as financially well-off.
The actor moved to Delhi to study at Delhi University and discovered that he had a passion for theatre. He stated that he was often called names and criticized in his hometown but he paid these haters no heed. But Manoj had the support of his father! When he finally confessed to wanting to pursue his dream of acting in a letter to his father, he sent his 200 rupees to cover his fees!
Attempting To Fit In
Coming from a small village in Bihar, Manoj knew that he was an outsider. The actor spoke Bhojpuri and knew he had to brush up on his Hindi and English skills if he wanted to be an actor. He spoke about how he kept trying to apply to the prestigious National School of Drama but faced three back-to-back rejections.
The actor candidly revealed that he was extremely dejected during this time and suffered from intense suicidal thoughts. He stated that it got to a point where his friends used to sleep next to him to make sure he was safe and didn’t take any drastic decisions. He stated that his loyal and empathetic friends helped keep him going through the tough times and didn’t leave his side. The actor revealed that the same year, he had received news that Shekhar Kapur wanted to cast him in the film Bandit Queen. With this, he felt that he was ready to finally move to Mumbai.
The Initial Struggle
Once the actor shifted to Mumbai, his path took a downturn as he struggled to find work. The actor shared a small chawl room with five other people. Speaking about his initial days, the actor said, “Once, an AD tore my photo & I’ve lost 3 projects in a day. I was even told to ‘get out’ after my 1st shot. I didn’t fit the ideal ‘hero’ face–so they thought I’d never make it to the big screen. All the while, I struggled to make rent & at times even a vada pav was costly. But the hunger in my stomach couldn’t dissuade my hunger to succeed.”
After struggling for four years, the actor had a stroke of luck and was cast in a soap opera that was directed by Mahesh Bhatt called, Swabhimaan. The show aired on Doordarshan and the actor made around 1,500 per episode. This provided him a steady income and made him a recognizable face. It was after this that he was approached for the film, Satya. His first big break.
Satya And Gaining Recognition
The Ram Gopal Varma cult classic, Satya, was written by a then novice, Anurag Kashyap. Despite many declaring the film a flop, it ran in theatres for a solid 25 weeks! Manoj took to Instagram on the 3rd of March to share an image of himself from the film and spoke proudly
about its success. The incredibly well thought out crime thriller contains interesting dialogues, a gripping storyline, and an array of talented actors. The film was much loved by Indian audiences everywhere.
The talented actor is now gearing up for the release of the second season of his web series, Family Man. The special crime drama is an Amazon Prime exclusive and it’s first season garnered rave reviews from many across the country. According to Bajpayee, it is set to be released somewhere in January of 2021.
Guess we all have something to look forward to for next year, right? Do let us know if you enjoyed this article in the comments section below. Tell us what your favorite Manoj Bajpayee project is!
