Manoj Bajpayee has established himself as one of the most respected performers in Indian cinema over a career spanning more than three decades. After beginning with smaller roles, the actor gained widespread recognition with Satya in 1998 and went on to feature in films such as Shool, Raajneeti, Gangs of Wasseypur, Special 26 and Aligarh, among several others. In recent years, Bajpayee has also become a prominent name in the OTT space, particularly with projects such as ‘The Family Man’. As his career has evolved, the actor has become increasingly selective about the stories and characters he takes on. In a recent interview, Manoj Bajpayee explained why he deliberately stays away from several mainstream, big-budget film projects, saying that smaller films offer him stronger stories, challenging characters and greater creative satisfaction.
Manoj Bajpayee explains why he chooses smaller films
Speaking to Variety India about consciously limiting his filmography to non-mainstream projects, Bajpayee explained that large-scale films do not necessarily provide him with the creative opportunities he seeks.“Films don’t offer much to me. If they pay me well, they can take care of many things in my life, give me a great holiday and become a great investment, then I can go ahead and think of compromising,” he said.For Bajpayee, smaller-budget productions can provide something more valuable than scale — the opportunity to play layered and memorable characters. He said the creative benefits of such projects fulfil what he is looking for as an actor.“We get a great story, great characters. So this is the best choice, right? And you get respect and also get to play some career-defining roles. These are the obvious choices for an actor like me,” he added.
Manoj Bajpayee does not want to be on sets dependent on a big star
Bajpayee also explained why he prefers not to work on projects where the entire production is structured around one leading star. According to him, he would rather be part of a film where his presence offers both creative and professional value.“Instead of just being on a set where everyone is waiting for the stars to come and the whole deal is depending on one person, I’d rather do these projects. If there’s no commercial gain, no career gain, why should I be part of it? Even the respect is less,” he said.Bajpayee has also described himself as an actor who enjoys reinventing himself. For him, repeating the same kind of performance simply because a project has a larger budget does not provide the satisfaction he is looking for.“I’m bored of going to the set and doing the same thing that you’ve done all your life. It’s so demeaning. Even if a small film is paying me a little less, it’s alright. It gives me great satisfaction at the end of the day when I’m driving back home,” he said.
Manoj Bajpayee’s work slate
On the work front, Manoj Bajpayee was last seen in ‘Last Man in Tower’ alongside Boman Irani, Divya Dutta, Sukant Goel and Chandan Roy Sanyal which released on September 11.
