Manoj Bajpayee: I don't get swayed by success or depressed by failures

Award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee has seen several highs and lows in his close to a three-decade-long career in Bollywood. His filmography boasts of some of the most popular titles which generations are going to cherish. But what the actor has learned from his journey is that he cannot let his professional achievements or failures define him as an artist.

"It has been 26 years in the industry and I have been through so many emotions, excitement, success, and failures. All this has just become a part of my life. They don't define my craft or me as an actor or person. I am a realist and don't get swayed by success or depressed by failures," Bajpayee told PTI.

Bajpayee has always managed to garner good response from critics and audiences, irrespective of the box-office outcome of his project. With Amazon Prime Video’s streaming show The Family Man, he forayed into the digital world and here as well, he won raves for his portrayal of a middle-aged investigation agent Srikant Tiwari in the action-drama series, created by filmmaker duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK.

"Audience expectations are welcome. They should expect good work from me as I also do the same from myself. I believe in having strict discipline and doing a good job every time I step out to work. But I don't feel compelled by the expectations. When I choose a project, I always look for what new things I can offer as a performer and how I can make this whole experience unique for myself. And if I am excited about something I am doing, that excitement gets transferred to the audience. This is what I am known for and people's appreciation has proved that I am on the right path," he said.

The actor was recently honoured by the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2021 (IFFM) with the best actor award in a series for The Family Man 2. Talking about the same, he said, “It is so amazing that a series which started in 2019 is still going and creating so much buzz all over the world. It is among the four most popular shows in the world, and we are getting so much honour because of this series. It's so humbling," he added.