Mumbai: Actor Manoj Bajpayee, made his way to Bollywood from Bihar, getting his break with Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen in 1994 and bursting onto the scene four years later with Ram Gopal Varma's cult, Satya. Looking back at his journey, the actor said that he grappled with multiple failed attempts to enter National School of Drama and even contemplated taking his life.
The recipient of two National Awards and a Padma Sri, Manoj has seen tremendous acclaim in his career with films like Shool in 1999, Anurag Kashyap's 2012 gangster drama Gangs of Wasseypur and Hansal Mehta's poignant Aligarh.
Bajpayee's journey as an actor is the perfect embodiment of the fact that everything that defines success is beneath the surface of visibility.
The acclaimed actor has penned a few aspects of his illustrious career for a Humans of Bombay. From his inspiration to learning languages to dealing with rejections and struggles, Bajpayee has poured his heart out in this piece.
Manoj, who was only versed with Bhojpuri, decided to work on his linguistic skills. He learnt English and Hindi and applied to the prestigious National School of Drama. After being rejected three times in a row, he was suicidal but his friends helped him afloat.
"I was an outsider, trying to fit in. So, I taught myself English & Hindi–Bhojpuri was a big part of how I spoke. I then applied to NSD, but was rejected thrice. I was close to committing suicide, so my friends would sleep next to me & not leave me alone. They kept me going until I was accepted," he said.
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The actor in his earlier interview with a newswire said he battled the inner politics and "discrimination", which isn't necessarily film industry-specific.
"When you come in the industry and start getting noticed, there are always people who think you're a threat to their position or you suddenly may come into the competition. This is the kind of politics and competitiveness which happen in every industry. I don't mind it."
Bajpayee said he remained unfazed by how people perceived him.
"You have to work your way through. I never shied away from having that kind of competition. Everyone feels discriminated, I don't mind it. As long as your resolve, your goal is clear, you can go on chasing that without caring about any kind of competition and ill feelings towards you.
The actor is now gearing up for the release of his film Bhonsle, set to stream Sony LIV from June 26.
