When Manoj Bajpayee’s pics were thrown in dustbin right in front of his eyes during struggling days: ‘It was routine’

Actor Manoj Bajpayee has made a name for himself and worked in acclaimed films such as Satya (1998), Aligarh (2015), Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), among many others. He has also won National Film Awards for his films Satya, Pinjar (2003) and Bhonsle (2018). But there was a time, when Manoj was ‘insulted’ and his photos were routinely thrown into a dustbin ‘right in front of his eyes’. Also read: Manoj Bajpayee says he drank too much on 1st international flight, became unconscious

In a 2019 interview, Manoj had opened up about his ‘long period of struggle, anxiety, disappointment and disillusion’. Speaking about his early days in Mumbai, the actor, who hails from Bihar, had recalled how he was treated by assistant directors before he made it in films. He also talked about how he coped and tried to ‘turn insult into hope’.

“Like most, who come to Mumbai to make it big, I too had a long period of struggle, anxiety, disappointment and disillusion. It was routine then to give your photo to an assistant director, who would promptly throw it into a bin right in front of your eyes. In order to turn insult into hope, I would choose to work on a character from a story appearing in the daily newspaper and perform for friends in the evening. This went on for a while and I would try to add some of my learnings from street theatre and NSD (National School of Drama, Delhi) into the roles I enacted. This kept me professionally alive and prepared when the first role came along,” Manoj had told Rediff.

When asked if his film Bhosle mirrored his own migration experience from Bihar’s Belwa to Mumbai, Manoj had said, “Yes. For any actor who leaves his home and his parents to find work in a new city, the struggles are monumental. Bhosle speaks of what one has to learn and unlearn in order to assimilate their new home. It also unravels how humans evolve, the loss they face, the identity issues they go through while migrating from one place to another. Mumbai is very different from the rest of India. It can be ruthless if you don’t have work or friends. The struggle time and times of disappointment are horrific and can break you. But when success hits you, the city engulfs you totally. Many a times, there’s no coming back. If the city has mercy on you, it spits you out and you are changed forever. You are free then to rule the world.”

Manoj was last seen in the film Gulmohar with veteran actor Sharmila Tagore. The film was released last month on Disney+ Hotstar. The actor will reportedly soon begin work on the third season of his Prime Video’s series The Family Man.