Manoj Bajpayee on receiving his third National Award: I felt a mixed bag of emotions

Humbled to have received his third National Award, Manoj says win would have been more memorable if family was in attendance
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; October 27, 2021)

There was a bustle at New Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan as the top brass of Bollywood collected to receive the National Awards on Monday. For Manoj Bajpayee, who took home the gong for Best Actor for his performance in Bhonsle at the ceremony’s 67th edition, the experience, although sweet, could have been more memorable.

“I felt alone,” says Bajpayee, who lost his father on October 2. “On wonderful occasions such as these, people celebrate with their loved ones. My wife [Shabana] and daughter [Ava Nayla] were supposed to be there. But, I was rushing from Kerala to attend it, so they couldn’t come with me. I missed my parents a lot. My father was such a film buff! He would keep a track of everything that I have done, including every award and honour that I received. He would be very proud of every achievement. So, while attending the function, I felt a mixed bag of emotions.”

After Best Supporting Actor (Satya, 2000) and Special Jury Award (Pinjar, 2005), this win marks Bajpayee’s third National Award. He acknowledges that in an industry that is becoming increasingly competitive, with each act outshining the other, winning this title is nothing short of an honour. “The title is bestowed upon you by jury members who are celebrated in their respective fields. If they honour you and your work that year, you can only accept the compliments with pride and humility, and shrug it off your shoulders and prepare for the next day’s shoot.”

In the pipeline for him are three mammoth projects, including one for Kannada director Raam Reddy, and Kanu Behl’s thriller, Despatch, a direct-to-OTT release. “Raam’s movie is going to be quite an experience for the audience to witness. He’s only 29-years old, but when he starts talking about philosophy, his views leave me spellbound. Kanu is a challenging director to work with. You have to be [mentally prepared] to work with him. He is brutal and may dislike every take. These young guys are making me grow, and I am going to work with them all the time. I don’t want to become [complacent]; I want to grow as an actor.”

Bajpayee is also shooting for Abhishek Choubey’s Netflix movie. “I have done two movies with him — Sonchiriya and Ray. He has many great ideas on approaching an act. Working with him is like attending an acting workshop.”
---------------------
The actor on winning his third National Award and catching up with the legend
Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 27, 2021)

After bagging two National Awards for Satya (1998) and Pinjar (2003), actor Manoj Bajpayee received a third on Monday, as he was honoured with the Best Actor award for his performance in Bhonsle (2018). He reveals that each time he goes up on the stage to accept the award, memories of his first win come rushing back. And while winning the top award is always special, this honour is more special for the actor.

“It feels even better when you win awards for films that are close to your heart. We wanted to make this movie for a while, but we weren’t getting money from anyone who could produce it. It took us four years to make Bhonsle. So, it definitely means the world to us. It’s kind of a poetic justice that has happened to the film,” he says.

The ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi will remain a fond memory for the 52-year-old actor, as it also gave him the opportunity to interact and exchange notes with other artistes. Quiz him about meeting superstar Rajinikanth, who was bestowed the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and Bajpayee says, “Rajinikanth sir is a legend and I’ve always looked up to him for the journey he has had. He came from a humble background and created such a big name for himself. He treats everyone with a lot of humility. I spoke to him. It had nothing to do with cinema, but spirituality.”

Talking about his interaction with actor Dhanush, who also won the Best Actor award, he says, “I had a long conversation with him. We shared our thoughts on the films we like and his films that I’ve watched. He’s a remarkable young mind doing some remarkable films.”