Manoj Bajpai: A thinking actor

By: Priyaranjan

Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpai is a passionate lover of theatre, full of fury and raw energy and hails from Bilwa, a sleepy hamlet in the Motihari district of Bihar. He was born on 3rd April. He is of humble parentage, being the son of a brahmin farmer.

He has earned his acting credentials doing theatre, although it is interesting to note that he was rejected thrice by the National School of Drama. He is the actor who is known for his acting sensibilities and brings about an intensity into his role, the kind of which is not usually seen among the contemporary actors.

After finishing his schooling from Bihar, Manoj went to study at the Ramjas College of Delhi University, which sometimes with derision, and sometimes with adulation, is also called the 'Bihari" college in the University, as mostly students hailing from Bihar study there. They have a fair amount of clout in the college affairs and politics as well.

Like most of his Bihari counterparts, Manoj had joined the University hoping to join the civil services as a police officer, but fate ordained a greater amount of fame for him.

Manoj's intrinsic ambitions and dreams to make his place under the arc lamps made him work his way up from TV roles to small character roles in films like Bandit Queen.
Pooja Bhatt spotted him for her film Tamanna where again he went unnoticed. Even after his first few films, he was not a known actor as far as the audiences were concerned. And then Satya happened, and Manoj became a star overnight with the nickname of 'Bhiku Mhatre', the unforgettable character he so deftly portrayed in that film.

Being a stickler for variety, Manoj has always stuck to the roles that offer him the scope to convey myriad emotions. He showed his talent for comedy in Hansal Mehta's dark comedy Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar and his subtle performance in Zubeidaa just added another feather to his cap. This man has the dream of working with the Hollywood legend Martin Scorcese one day, and with the kind of adulation and fanfare he has now, the day should not far enough.

He has won another applause for his virtuoso performance in Pinjar. In LoC also, his work was highly appreciated.. His latest film is Swami, where he has pulled up a coup of sorts yet again, skillfully acting out the life story of the famed choreographer Ganesh Acharya.

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