Manoj Bajpayee is one of those actors who likes to act without feeling the need to be recognised as a star. The actor recently said that he is in fact deeply mortified by the tag. “It’s very embarrassing to be tagged a star or superstar or whatever. You please give the tag to someone else. Firstly, I don’t believe in such tags. I only believe in doing my work. These titles are of no use to me,” says Bajpayee.
Manoj understands the inevitability of ups and downs of his career. “I have never gotten carried away by success. Nor have I been bogged down by failure. I am not here to make money or win awards. I am here to act because I simply love the process and craft of acting.”
For Manoj acting is not just a passion but also a job. “I am only interested in doing my job well. Of course there are the obvious benefits of your films doing well, and I’m not denying that. Nor am I saying that the money I make is not important. I am just saying that talking about it is embarrassing to me.”
When asked if his price been hiked after the highly successful ‘The Family Man’ he said, “When you are part of a series as phenomenally successful as The Family Man which is a success the world over, of course your salary is hiked .I am no different from any actor who is part of a successful project. Otherwise success or failure makes no difference to me. I will keep working to the best of my abilities as long as my body allows.”
As for being called a superstar Manoj again disowns such labels. “I’ve never believed in them. I don’t believe in such labels and I don’t deserve them,” he concludes.
