Actor Manoj Bajpayee, who has received the National Award for his performance in a supporting role in Satya (1998) and the Special Jury National award for Pinjar (2003), was not surprised when the 64th National Awards were announced on Friday.

He said, “I have never focussed my hope on any award, ever. Life is about moving on and I am very happy with the kind of work I am doing right now. I don't work to seek awards.“

His film Aligarh won critical acclaim across but didn't get any recognition at the National Awards. Ask him if he is disappointed about it and he says, “I don't know what to say. Commenting on the verdict of any awards in the country will make you look like a loser. But honestly speaking, I don't attach any importance to any award. That's how I keep myself happy.“

The actor however, admits that when he got the award for Satya, he respected the honour and moved on with it. He adds, “Awards are a completely debatable issue in our country. I don't mull over my achievements, so ideally, we should not talk about awards.“

Manoj steers away from naming any particular award in the country as being unfair. He takes pride in the fact that internationally people have recognised his work and contribution to cinema. He says, “I was the first actor to receive an award by one of the prestigious academies in the Asia-Pacific region for my work in Aligarh, but nobody spoke about it. People decided to ignore it and so I let it be. Anyway, I am not someone who tom-toms my achievements. It's also time to congratulate the winners.“