Manoj Bajpayee Turns 55: Versatile Actor’s Journey, Top Movies, Web Series, Powerful Dialogues and Upcoming Projects

Manoj Bajpayee, the supremely talented actor has carved a niche for himself in the Hindi film industry with his exceptional talent and path-breaking performances. He is known for his versatility and method of acting and enjoys a massive fan following. He has been awarded several accolades including three National Film Awards, the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, and six Filmfare Awards. Also, Manoj Bajpayee is a recipient of the fourth-highest civilian award, Padma Shri, which he received in 2019 for his contributions to art.

In his career spanning almost three years, Manoj has experimented in almost every genre, needless to say that he excelled in each one of them. On the occasion of his 55th birthday, on April 23, let’s take a look at his acting journey, his top movies, his Web Series, his best dialogues, and upcoming projects.

Manoj Bajpayee’s Journey In The Entertainment Industry

Born in Belwa in 1969, Manoj aspired to become an actor since childhood. His parents named him after yesteryear’s superstar Manoj Kumar. He left his home at the age of 18 and relocated to New Delhi to learn acting, He applied for the National School of Drama but got rejected thrice. Despite that, he never gave up on acting and continued doing theatre.

He made his Bollywood debut in the year 1994 with director Govind Nihalani’s film Dhorkaal in which he merely had a one-minute role. In the same year, he also appeared in director Shekhar Kapur’s acclaimed film Bandit Queen. He went on to play some unrecognised roles in later years and also did some TV serials like Swabhimaan, Imtihaan, and Kalakaar.

He first tasted success in the year 1998 with director Ram Gopal Verma’s crime thriller film Satya in which he played the role of Bhiku Mhatre for which he also received his career-first National Film Award. From then there was no looking back for the actor.

Post the grand success of Satya, he also appeared in films like Kaun?, Shool, and director Shyam Benegal’s Zubeidaa.

Manoj won his second National Film Award for his performance in the 2004 film Pinjar. The period drama film was helmed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi and also starred Urmila Matondkar, Sanjay Suri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Isha Kopikar.

He also worked with the legendary director Yash Chopra in the romantic drama film Veer Zaara co-starring Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, and Rani Mukerji.

Later on, he appeared in several big hit films like Raajneeti, Aligarh, Aarakshan, Swami, Special 26, and Shootout at Wadala among others.

His performance in director Anurag Kashyap’s 2012 release Gangs of Wasseypur received widespread acclaim and several awards.

In 2021, he won his third National Film Award for his performance in the film Bhonsale.

Not just films, he grabbed the audience’s attention with his performance in web series like The Family Man, Killer Soup, and Ray

Manoj Bajpayee’s Top Performances

1. SatyaWho can forget the dialogue ‘Mumbai Ka King Kaun…Bhiku Mhatre’ from the epic gangster drama film Satya. Released in the year 1998, the film was helmed by Ram Gopal Verma and was declared a hit. Manoj received his first National Film Award for his portrayal of Bhiku Mhatre.
2. ShoolAnother Ram Gopal Verma directorial. In the film, Manoj portrayed the role of a Police officer Samar Pratap Singh. The film also starred Raveena Tandon in the lead roles.
3. PinjarThis one is one of the best films ever made on partition. In the film, Manoj played the role of a Muslim guy Rashid who kidnapped a Hindu girl during the Indo-Pak partition. Helmed by Chandraprakash Dwived the film also starred Urmila Matondkar and Kulbhushan Kharbanda. He received his second national film award for this film.
4. Gangs of WasseypurDon’t call yourself a Manoj Bajpayee fan if you haven’t watched this epic gangster drama film. Helmed by Anurag Kashyap the film is a cult classic and so is Manoj’s character Sardaar Khan.
5. RaajneetiIn the Prakash Jha directorial, he played a staunch politician Veerendra Pratap. The film was a big success and also starred Ranbir Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Katrina Kaif, Nana Patekar, and Arjun Rampal.

Manoj Bajpayee’s Web Series

1. The Family Man Season 1 and 2Helmed by the director duo Raj and DK the web series is one of the biggest successes in the actor’s career. He won fans’ hearts with his portrayal as a middle-class man working for a secret cell at the National Investigation Agency. The series is streaming on the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video.
2. Killer SoupThe crime thriller series also starred Konkona Sen Sharma in the lead roles and was premiered on the OTT platform Netflix. In the series, Manoj was seen in a double role.
3. RayIt was an anthology drama show based on the stories of Satyajit Ray. Manoj appeared in the third episode of the series titled Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa in which he played the role of a musician.

Manoj Bajpayee’s Powerful Dialogues

1. Shootout At Wadaala“Baadshah ki gali mein aake uska pata nahi puchte….ghulamon ke jhuke hue sar khud ba khud rasta bata dete hain.”
2. Satya“Mumbai Ka King Kaun? Bhiku Mhatre,” and “Karna Hai To Karna Hai”.
3. Aarakshan“Aap the Zero..Aap Hain Zero..Aur Aap hamesha rahenge bhi Zero.”
4. Raajneeti“Aasmaan par thukne waalon ko shayad ye pata nahi…ki palat kart hook unhi ke chehre par giregi,” and “Karaaraa jawaab milega.”
5. Gangs of Wasseypur“Itna goli maarte hi aapka driver bhi khoka bech bech kar raees ban jaata.”
6. The Family Man“Sab chahte hain ki sach unke saath rahe..par sach ke saath rehna koi nahi chahta.”
7. Zubeidaa“Sau chaand bhi chamkenge toh kya baat banegi…tum aaye ho to is raat ki aukaat banegi.”

Manoj Bajpayee’s Upcoming Projects

Bhaiyya Ji

Helmed by Apoorv Singh Karki, who previously directed Bajpayee’s critically acclaimed courtroom drama Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai. The film is all set to hit the theatres on May 24, 2024. Recently, the makers unveiled the official teaser of the film which received good responses from the fans.

The Family Man Season 3

This is one of the most awaited projects of Manoj Bajpayee. He will be seen returning as Srikant Tiwari, a secret cell agent in the third season of The Family Man. Helmed by Raj and DK the series will reportedly release next year.