Biopic being made on actor Manoj Bajpayee’s life which he almost ended

There is a biopic being made on Padma Shri (India’s fourth highest civilian honour) awardee and two-time National Award winning actor Manoj Bajpai’s incredible journey from Belwa village in West Champaran, Bihar to the tinseltown of Mumbai.

“Mere upar koi Hindi mein ek biopic likh raha hai. Ek English mein ek Patrakar hain jo likh rahi hain. In dono ne chaha tha ki meri usme involvement ho. Maine kahan main best wishes de dunga taaki aapke public ko yeh na lage ke Manoj Bajpayee naraaz ho jayega (Someone is writing a biopic on me in Hindi. There is an English-language journalist who is (also) writing. Both of them had wanted my involvement in it. I said I will give my best wishes so that your audience doesn’t think Manoj Bajpayee will be upset),” the acclaimed actor told YourStory Media Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma during a recent chat. 

The 51-year old son of a farmer who grew up with five siblings in a village in Bihar and went to a “hut school”, did not identify the writers of the biographical film. He said that irrespective of whether he likes the writers’ perception of him, he will welcome it.

Manoj, whose big Bollywood break came with the 1998 film Satya for which he picked up the National Award for the Best Supporting Actor, said,

“I don't think I have reached that stage where there should be a book written on me or a film made on me, I still have a lot of work to do.

“I feel like if acting is a long rope I have just touched one tip of it. Finally I am realising a little bit about acting and I need to go further with it.”

Biopics coming out of the Hindi film industry have often been criticised for having one-sided narratives where the protagonist is shown in a largely positive light. Manoj is very clear about the fact that it’s important to show all shades and moods of the protagonist to create a healthy and realistic picture in front of the audience.

“If someone is making a film on me then don’t just show the good things about me. They should show what an angry person I have been, that I have hurt many people. I have had a dark side too, show that as well. That’s when a human being will be seen, show that. That’s when people will feel, or future actors will realise that this journey is not that easy,” he said.

Watch the full conversation here:

Manoj was rejected from the National School of Drama (NSD) in Delhi thrice before finally making it on his fourth attempt. Earlier this year, he revealed that during this phase of rejection he was on the verge of suicide and his friends would sleep next to him, never leaving him alone to make sure he was okay. 

“If everything is hunky dory then people only focus on the achievements, then they tend to ignore the process. When you include the dark side as well, that’s when people’s attention shifts to the process. That’s when people realise this is a difficult road to take and before taking it one should think 10 times,” he said.