I had to either get better or leave the field. I couldn't go back to my village as a failure. The only thing that occurred to me was that I would work hard and get better next year. I feel that my love for the craft has got me this far, and this love is still there.

Manoj Bajpayee

Categorized in : Me Love Work Failure

Struggle teaches you a lot of things, and I am happy that I witnessed a roller coaster ride. The journey has improved me as a person and made me more mature.

Manoj Bajpayee

i-am ride me journey

The second child of a small farmer with six children, I come from a village in Bihar on the border of Nepal called Belwa. I was there till the age of 17 and studied in a Hindi-speaking boarding school run by Catholics in a nearby district town.

Manoj Bajpayee

village age children school

I personally feel that no human is a hero or a villain. All of us have our grey sides, and that is why grey interests me: because it's more human, more life-like.

Manoj Bajpayee

feel me villain hero

For me, money has never been an indicator. And it is very sad that each and every film these days is being judged by the money that it makes. It's a world that I don't want to be a part of, and I try and stay away from that.

Manoj Bajpayee

me sad money world

Independent films are the ones with the great possibility of keeping you on your toes, challenging your craft and skills, and forcing you to learn something new.

Manoj Bajpayee

your new great you

Commercial cinema is necessary to get money, but to get respect, it's necessary to keep coming up with good content and giving a chance to the talent whose craft and skill is immaculate.

Manoj Bajpayee

good respect talent money

It is important to move on from the laurels of the past. I can't let success go to my head.

Manoj Bajpayee

go important success past

I think theatre is an actor's medium, while cinema is a director's medium.

Manoj Bajpayee

director think cinema theatre

In 'Queen,' songs were the part of events happening in the story, and that is where we enjoy music. We dance at weddings, we lip sync at bars and discos, and there are special moments in life which need background music. It should be depicted in films in the same way.

Manoj Bajpayee

queen music dance life

Acting is the most difficult job in the world.

Manoj Bajpayee

job difficult acting world

Before moving to Delhi at the age of 17, I had only travelled to Patna or Varanasi outside Belwa.

Manoj Bajpayee

only delhi age moving

I would really want all my films to make money. But this weekend calculation is the most dangerous thing because, based on the amount collected in the first weekend, they start declaring the film a hit or a flop. It can't be.

Manoj Bajpayee

start dangerous weekend money

The 10 years of theatre prepared me not only as an actor but also as a human being. It gave me the habit of reading, watching, and preserving.

Manoj Bajpayee

me habit theatre reading

Earlier films were meant only for entertainment, but now filmmakers, who are products of these times, do not compromise on real stuff. That is why storytelling has become more convincing.

Manoj Bajpayee

more entertainment compromise real

When I came to industry, theatre persons were regarded as those people who will only ask questions and will be an annoying factor on the set, and there was no preference given to them.

Manoj Bajpayee

will questions theatre people

I work for the director, and if audience are happy, I have gotten my award. After that, I have to move on.

Manoj Bajpayee

award audience work happy

That's realism: a fact that if the audiences don't move out and watch good films at the theatre, people will stop making them.

Manoj Bajpayee

stop good theatre people

Talent alone doesn't matter in this industry, and everyone knows this. If someone says, 'Good films are done', 'Talent always survives', there are other factors, too, which are far more important.

Manoj Bajpayee

alone good talent important

For me, life is starting every day, every year. There's a lot to be done!

Manoj Bajpayee

every-day day me life

An actor is nothing without the vision of the director. The director needs to have a vision that will cross boundaries, that makes the audience sit on the edge of their seats and that pushes the envelope.

Manoj Bajpayee

sit nothing will vision