Manoj Bajpayee dwells on the unbeatable spirit of Mumbai
Upala KBR (DNA; August 7, 2016)

Manoj Bajpayee, who hails from Belwa village in Bihar, went to Delhi when he was 17-years-old to apply at the National School Of Drama. After a few unnoticed roles, he played gangster Bhiku Mhatre in Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya, and never looked back since. This year his portrayal as professor Ramchandra Siras, in Hansal Mehta’s biographical drama Aligarh, won him accolades. Manoj talks about what transformed him into a Mumbaiyya man, despite missing his village still:

"I first came to Mumbai in 1993 after Bandit Queen. I felt this city was very crowded, congested and there were no open spaces here compared to Delhi, which is very spread out. But with time I got used to it and today it is the city which has given me everything. In those days I stayed in a chawl in DN Nagar (Andheri West), which is now a posh locality. I started loving the city after working in TV series Swabhimaan, before that I had nothing to do, had no idea whether to work in films or do theatre. The moment I start working towards my dream is when I started loving this city.

When I was in Belwa, my village in Bihar I just wanted to get out from there and start chasing my dreams to become an actor. Village life is very laidback and relaxed. The panchayats out there have different level of politics prevailing which affects each and everyone greatly. The city life is very fast and cut-throat in nature which I still don’t seem to relate to. I miss my village the most.

Life can sometimes get lonely in this city. People make friends in Mumbai and initially so did I. I did try making long-lasting friends for a few years but then I realised that it is very difficult as everyone here lives in their own world. Travelling in the city even for five kilometres seems like 50 kms due to the traffic congestion. Nevertheless I have my close family here, who are always there for me.

Monsoons in Mumbai are always memorable, every year it gave some different memories to cherish. This city has an unbeatable spirit of always going on no matter how heavy the rains are. This kind of spirit is not there in any city, in fact in Delhi during monsoon everything goes on a halt.

Mumbai and Delhi are very different from each other. Mumbai citizens are way more polite than Delhites. But I love both the cities equally as when I go to Delhi I enjoy its greenery, its spaces and the company of my friends-family who live there. While Mumbai is where my work is and where my immediate family lives so both are special in their own way."