Manoj Bajpayee, who has his hands full with a host of projects, is going to take a week off work. The reason? Attending to all the rituals for his father, Radhakant Bajpai’s first death anniversary. It is an emotional moment for the actor, who holds huge respect for his late father and the kind of person he was.

“My father welcomed all kinds of opinion, whether he agreed with it or not. He was a democratic man. I never heard him shouting at any of his six children. It was a huge responsibility to provide education and a great upbringing to all of us. And he managed to encourage everyone of us to choose and lead our own careers,” Bajpayee shares.

The 53-year-old adds that his interest in acting, in fact, stemmed from his father being a fan of actors such as Balraj Sahni and Dilip Kumar. “They were his favourites.” he says. Calling his father “a rare gem”, he adds, “The qualities he had... I don’t think anyone of us can ever manage to achieve that. Even if he got upset with someone, who by mistake or knowingly insulted him, he never held a grudge. And I am definitely not like him. I’m more like my mother, aggressively chasing my goals. I have been doing things that way in my career.”

Bajpayee recalls the kind of wisdom his father had, and shares, “Not one to lecture his children, he said things in a matter-of-fact manner, and slip in the gems (of wisdom). But I used to observe him and follow those mantras. Once he told me that if you’re trying to make a career, just go all out. But you can’t afford to not be humble. And when you get it (success), be more humble than anyone else in this world. These things that I learnt from him have always helped me.”