Happy 52nd birthday to Bollywood’s one of the finest & versatile actors- Manoj Bajpayee!
Given the current situation and the havoc it created, the actor has decided to skip his birthday celebrations this year.
Today, on this special occasion let’s look at the times when Manoj Bajpayee received the prestigious National Film Awards for his stellar performances.
Did you know he is the recipient of 3 National Film Awards? Check it out:
1. Satya (1998)- Best Supporting Actor
Manoj Bajpayee had received the National Award for the first time for Ram Gopal Varma’s cult gangster movie Satya. Bajpayee’s iconic portrayal of Bhiku Mhatre gave him nationwide recognition. Nobody could have played the character the way Bajpayee did.
2. Pinjar (2003)- Special Jury Award
Though Pinjar didn’t get any mention in any of the mainstream film awards, it did win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. For this Chandraprakash Dwivedi directorial, Manoj Bajpayee received his second National Award as his performance as Rashid was appreciated in the special jury category.
3. Bhonsle (2020)- Best Actor
Last but not the least, this year, Manoj won his third National Award for Bhonsle at the 67th National Film Awards. He played the role of a retired Mumbai Police constable who tries to help migrants fight against local politicians.
After receiving this honour, the actor told in an interview:
“On many occasions, some of my really acclaimed performances – which I hold close to my heart and I am so proud of – were somewhere left out. The admirers who knew about the work protested against the choices of other performances over those performances of mine, but I’ve never said a thing.”
The movie was premiered in the ‘A Window on Asian Cinema’ section of the 2018 Busan International Film Festival and was streamed on Sony LIV on June 26, 2020. While expressing his gratitude the actor further added,
“I always had the belief that one day there will be a time that God will give me a second look. He will turn back and recognize the efforts I’ve been making all of these years. He will gift me the honour for something I’ll do.”