Actor Manoj Bajpayee condemns those who attacked doctors and nurses, recently
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; April 27, 2020)

Even though the current situation of the world is not something to be happy about, actor Manoj Bajpayee had quite a ‘hatke’ birthday this year on April 23. Stranded in Uttarakhand for more than a month now, with his family, and the unit of his film that he was shooting for, he tells us how his special day went.

“The people at the property we are staying at, made sure that it went well in whatever way they could manage. They decorated the place with some balloons, and my nine-year-old daughter and wife made cards for me. Those were the personal touches that I loved. My director (of the film he was shooting for) wrote a beautiful poem, which completely touched me. I spent all day with my family, and the unit people, amid laughter. Then, we had the cake and food that we all cooked. That’s how this birthday went — unique and fantastic. It’s going to be quite memorable,” tells us the 51-year-old.

Amid all this, the one thing which upset Bajpayee was the news about medical professionals like nurses and doctors being subjected to hate and violence by some people.

Calling it ‘unfathomable’, he strongly voices his disdain for such behaviour. “I don’t know who these guys are who are attacking doctors and nurses — our true heroes. People working in the health sector are frontline warriors, who are trying to make each and every person feel safe and healthy. The attackers should be ashamed of themselves. They can’t just go ahead and attack, let alone even think of it. I strongly condemn this act of violence against frontline workers. I cannot understand it, and the law should take it’s own course,” he tells us.

One might think that Bajpayee may be stressed about being away from home for so long, but he dispels all such worries. He is actually glad about the fact that they are where they are during the Coronavirus lockdown, especially for the sake of his daughter Ava. He reasons, “I was shooting when my family came to visit me, and now we are here, it was a decision which was taken collectively. We thought it would be better to stay here than in an urban, congested area. It was wiser for us to stay back, because here, she doesn’t have as many restrictions which otherwise, she may have had to follow if we were in our Mumbai apartment. She is happier here.”

This, however, doesn’t mean that they are free to roam around, he quips. They can’t go on the main road, as they are not allowed by the authorities. “We can see the Himalayas from here. We also make sure to not meet any outsiders,” he signs off.