Actor Manoj Bajpayee stole show at The Hindu Huddle on June 6 . With humor and career reflections,he charmed crowd. Chatting with journalist Rohit Khilnani, Bajpayee lightened mood by snapping selfies with audience, aiming to shake off his “serious individual” label. “I don’t know when I went from Manoj to Manoj sir to Manojji. I have a 15-year-old inside me waiting to express,” he quipped.
The session,called “Bhiku Mhatre to Srikant Tiwari: Three Decades of Reinvention,” had Bajpayee recalling his breakout as Bhiku Mhatre in 1998 film Satya. He painted a picture of his early struggles,saying, “I was going hungry and looking for people who could give me a place to sleep. I jumped into the character like a hungry tiger.” This set stage for a deep dive into his career ups and downs .
When conversation turned to AI's impact on film industry, Bajpayee showed mixed feelings. Concern and optimism. He admitted AI's threat to human actors but also hailed tech advances for cutting post-production costs. “You cannot recreate human experience. The real-time performance is always authentic when compared to AI,” he insisted.
Bajpayee,known for offbeat films,aired frustrations about indie cinema's plight in India. He noted how filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal, and Anurag Kashyap earn global praise but struggle at home. “Independent and off-beat movies must get better budgets. These films need to get more shows,” he urged,criticizing how blockbusters overshadow deserving projects despite poor reviews .
Looking to future, Bajpayee will star in Governor,a film on 1990 Indian economic crisis,set for June 12,2026 release. He plays ex-Reserve Bank of India Governor S. Venkitaramanan. On working with producer Vipul Shah,of The Kerala Story fame, Bajpayee clarified,“Vipul Shah is an experienced producer. The Kerala Story got people to theatres, but it was also controversial. But Governor is a story we all agree on. It is not political.”
The film aims to educate younger folks on India's past economic woes, with Bajpayee stressing,“Today’s generation needs to know that India didn’t always have Pepsi,Coke, and mobile phones. India was standing on the verge of bankruptcy.”
Despite love for deep roles,Bajpayee wants to change his on-screen image. “I do a lot of research and dive deep into a complex character. But I fear that I will continue to get only such roles. I am a bit tired of this kind of process . I want to dress well,sing songs, and chill on sets,” he said,hinting at a lighter path ahead…
