They Would Turn Their Cameras Away: Manoj Bajpayee Recalls His Dark Phase That Lasted Almost A Decade

Manoj Bajpayee said that there was a point when he struggled to stay afloat.

New Delhi: Manoj Bajpayee recently made an appearance on YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia's channel to talk about his work and dark days. The actor shared that there was a point when he struggled to stay afloat. Bajpayee said that when he relocated from New Delhi to Mumbai in order to establish himself as an actor, he was at rock bottom.

“It was a very bad phase of my life when I came from Delhi to Mumbai, I used to work 18 hours a day in Delhi without money, in theatre, but there was a creative satisfaction. Pata nahi hota tha ki khaana kaha se aayega (I did not know from where I would get my next meal from). I had no money, but God was kind. I was busy despite the starvation. But when I came here (to Mumbai), I had no work, no food, no money. I began to doubt my talent and myself, this was in the ’90s,” Manoj told the host. 

“I was very weak physically, and wherever I used to go, be it a set or a producer’s office, I was shown the door almost immediately, there were no casting directors back then,” he added. 

The actor said that he faced challenging days even after 'Satya', and that these episodes lasted for a full seven years before director Prakash Jha cast him in the political drama Rajneeti, which went on to become a blockbuster.

“No one was touching me after Pinjar, despite today it being regarded as one of my finest works. But the film didn’t work at the box office at the time. This is how our industry works, ek bewakoof aur ghatiya darje ki film superhit ho jayegi, phir uss tarike ki film aur banti hai (One badly made film will become a blockbuster, and the rest of the industry goes on to follow the same sad formula, ignoring other better-made movies). My bad phase started, and it was there for 7 years. And when I would go to a gathering, cameramen, reporters and anchors, they would turn their mic and cameras away from me. I wouldn’t feel bad, because I knew I needed only one role to get back in the saddle, and that role was given to me in Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti,” the actor said. 

'Gulmohar', a Disney Plus Hotstar movie, is Manoj Bajpayee's most recent release, and it marks the first time the renowned actor Sharmila Tagore will appear on OTT platform.