Manoj
Bajpayee;
this
name
is
enough
to
pull
you
towards
a
film
or
a
web-series
since
you
know
that
a
power-packed
performance
is
in
store
for
you.
From
starting
his
career
with
four
rejections
at
National
School
of
Drama
(NSD)
to
becoming
a
three-time
recipient
of
the
National
Film
Awards,
the
actor's
journey
is
inspiring
to
the
core.
In
his
career
spanning
more
than
two
decades,
Manoj
Bajpayee
has
dabbled
with
roles
belonging
to
various
genres.
But
when
it
comes
to
pulling
off
characters
with
grey
shades,
the
supremely
talented
actor
knows
how
to
hit
the
bullseye.
Interestingly,
Manoj
says
he
doesn't
believe
in
the
word
'villain'.
In
one
of
his
past
interviews
with
Hindustan
Times,
the
Padmi
Shri
awardee
was
quoted
as
saying,
"If
you
give
me
a
negative
character,
I
try
finding
something
positive
around
it.
And
if
you
give
me
a
positive
character,
my
job
is
to
find
some
flaws
with
his
personality.
Because
no
one
is
perfect
and
no
one
is
purely
evil
either.
All
of
us,
we
have
shades
of
grey."
As
Manoj
Bajpayee
turns
53
today
(April
23,
2022),
we
bring
five
of
his
films
in
which
he
left
a
lasting
impression
as
an
anti-hero.
Satya
'Mumbai
ka
king
kaun?
Bhiku
Mhatre!'
Just
like
this
dialogue
mouthed
by
his
character
in
Ram
Gopal
Varma's
gangster
cult
film
Satya,
Manoj
Bajpayee
too,
proved
that
he
is
the
ultimate
king
when
it
comes
to
nailing
grey
characters.
Touted
to
be
one
of
his
career-defining
performances,
Satya's
Bhiku
Mhatre
is
a
favourite
with
every
Manoj
Bajpayee
fan.
No
wonder,
even
Bollywood
megastar
Amitabh
Bachchan
couldn't
stop
gushing
over
Manoj
after
watching
this
film!
Aks
In
Rakeysh
Omprakash
Mehra's
supernatural
thriller
Aks,
Manoj
essayed
the
role
of
Raghavan
Ghatge,
a
criminal
who
dies
and
is
reincarnated
in
the
body
of
Manu
Verma
(Amitabh
Bachchan).
As
the
epitome
of
all
that's
evil
and
dark,
the
actor
sent
shivers
down
people's
spine
with
his
voice.
Gangs
Of
Wasseypur
It
wouldn't
be
wrong
to
say
that
Gangs
Of
Wasseypur
is
another
landmark
film
in
Manoj
Bajpayee's
career.
We
can't
imagine
any
other
actor
pulling
off
the
role
of
the
ruthless,
immoral
and
lusty
Sardar
Khan
as
effectively
as
Manoj!
"For
15-20
days
of
the
shoot,
I
didn't
interact
with
anyone.
I
later
told
my
co-stars
Richa
Chadha
and
Nawazuddin
Siddiqui
that
I
am
trying
something
risky.
I
want
the
viewer
to
forget
he
is
watching
Manoj
Bajpayee;
it
should
only
dawn
on
him
after
he
has
left
the
theatre.
My
inspiration
was
Iranian
cinema,
where
the
actors
are
so
natural,
they
are
real
people.
I
had
to
unlearn
the
craft
and
look
so
real
that
it
should
not
feel
like
acting," Bajpayee
had
opened
up
about
his
preparation
for
this
film
in
an
interview
with
Mint.
Raajneeti
Remember
Manoj
Bajpayee's
role
of
Veerendra
Pratap,
the
Duryodhan-like
character
in
Prakash
Jha's
political
drama
Raajneeti?
As
a
shrewd
politician
in
the
film,
the
actor
made
us
marvel
at
his
acting
prowess
while
he
dug
deep
into
the
complexities
of
his
character.
Baaghi
2
Tiger
Shroff's
Ramboesque
Ronnie
in
Baaghi
2
found
his
perfect
nemesis
in
the
sly
DIG
Ajay
Shergill
(played
by
Manoj
Bajpayee).
The
latter
with
his
mind
games,
created
havoc
in
Ronnie's
life
and
forced
him
to
go
'Baaghi' for
his
lady
love.
The
film
was
panned
by
a
certain
section
of
critics,
but
one
must
say,
Manoj
did
manage
to
churn
out
an
engaging
performance.
Filmibeat
wishes
Manoj
Bajpayee
a
very
happy
birthday!