Bollywood Newshound Nisha checking in folks, with yet another juicy scoop from the heart of Hindi cinema! This time, we’re diving into the life and times of Manoj Bajpayee, a man whose movie ‘Bhaiya Ji’ turned out to be as appealing to the audience as a stale samosa. But hey, Manoj is the kind of guy who would take even a stale samosa, dust it off, and probably turn it into a five-star meal.
In a recent podcast with Sushant Sinha, he spilled the beans about his life’s low phase. Now, I’m not a life coach, but if you ever get stuck in a rut, you might want to take a leaf out of Bajpayee’s book. And no, I’m not talking about his acting manual.
Bollywood’s Mr. Resilient revealed that he was once in the middle of a career and financial rough patch. It got so bad, he said, that one day he decided he’d had enough and he wasn’t going to take it anymore. So, what did our man do? He started waking up at 5 am, doing yoga, and disciplining himself. He put a full stop to meat, alcohol, and all his other vices. Essentially, he cleaned up his act, and not just by picking up his laundry.
But that’s not all. After turning his back on all the bad habits, Bajpayee started cold-calling two directors every day in the hopes of landing a gig. He said they were always nice to him. Even though he didn’t go out, he dressed well. It became his job. He exercised his acting muscles, read, tried all sorts of things on himself, and then went home to his family. He even started socializing with his friends again.
In this way, he turned the tables on his failure and made the most of it. He also revealed that when director-producer Prakash Jha offered him ‘Rajneeti’, he thought it had to be successful for him. And lo and behold, lady luck was on his side and he made a spectacular comeback.
Moral of the story? When life gives you lemons, squeeze them in your masala chai, kick back, and dial up some directors. You never know when your ‘Rajneeti’ is going to come knocking. And always remember to dress well. Even if you’re just going to the living room. Until next time, this is Bollywood Newshound Nisha, signing off with a wag and a wink!
