OTTplay Awards 2022: Know Your Winners–Manoj Bajpayee wins Best Actor in a Series (Jury) for The Family Man 2

Versatality is truly Manoj Bajpayee's second name, as the actor continues to impress us with his recurring role of a civil servant conflicted between family and duty in Amazon Prime Video's The Family Man 2, amongst a plethora of layered characters he has played over the last few decades. 

Manoj Bajpayee nailed the role of Srikant Tiwari in the first season of The Family Man itself. The series featured Neeraj Madhav as the lead antagonist. The second season of the show saw Samantha as a rebel. With that, season 2 of the show flew to a whole new level.

Priyamani is a pivotal part of the show. She plays Srikant’s wife, Suchi. Ashlesha Thakur plays their daughter in the series. Sharad Kelkar has a mysterious role as Suchi’s ‘friend’.

The series also features Sharib Hashmi, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Sunny Hinduja, Darshan Kumaar and Dalip Tahil in pivotal roles. The show saw Gul Panag in a surprise character in the first season.

The third season of The Family Man is currently under production. The makers have promised to release the show soon.

ABOUT THE WINNER

At the age of 25, Bajpayee earned his first acting gig, a minute-long role, in Govind Nihalani's Drohkaal (1994) and hasn't looked back since. He rose to prominence after the biographical drama Bandit Queen that same year. he had also acted in TV series' such as Kalakaar and Imtihaan back in the 1990s, before taking on a role by filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt in the soap opera Swabhimaan (1995). 

However, many agree that Manoj Bajpayee's breakthrough film was Satya (1998) as gangster Bhiku Mhatre. The film was screened at the 1998 International Film Festival of India. Bajpayee alo worked in movies like Kaun? and Shool (both 1999), before taking on the Telugu romantic film Prema Katha (1999).

His other famous movies include Road (2002), Pinjar (2003), LOC: Kargil (2003), Raajneeti (20120), Aarakshan (2011), Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), amongst many others. 

ACCOLADES

Manoj Bajpayee is a multi national Award-winning actor, who has been given the highest honour in cinema thrice, along with six Filmfare Awards, and two Asia Pacific Screen Awards and several other awards and recognitions over the years for his immense contribution to Indian cinema.

In 2019, the actor was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri.

LESSER KNOWN FACTS ABOUT THE ACTOR

Manoj Bajpayee was named after the deceased veteran actor manoj Kumar and he himself wanted to be an actor from a young age. 

He moved to New Delhi at the age of 17, and after finsihing college from Delhi University, he had heard of the prestigious National School of Drama from actors and applied. He was rejected three times and wanted to commit suicide afterward.

He then attended director and acting coach Barry John's workshop and the coach hired him as his assistant teacher. After that stint, Bajpayee again applied at the National School of Drama for the fourth time, and this time they offered him a teaching position at the school instead of taking him in as a student.

Bajpayee has also worked in Tamil and Telugu language films such as Vedam and Prema Katha. 

The actor has inspired his contemporaries such as Nawazuddin Siddiqui to with his hard-hitting performances. in fact, Nawaz's anti-hero role in Kick (2014) was hugely influenced by Bajpayee's performance in his critically acclaimed film Aks (2001).

ABOUT HIS WIN AT THE OTTPLAY AWARDS 2022

While accepting his award at the OTTplay Awards 2022, the actor praised the South Indian talents present in the room that evening, saying, “I’m so glad to see my South friends here."

“I really want to thank Raj & DK for choosing me in this series. I feel jealous you are working with so many actors and I’m not there. You are my two eyes. I thank all the actors. My on-screen daughter is now 20 and she will be there till married off," he further added on stage.

UPCOMING PROJECTS

Manoj Bajpayee will be seen in Rahul V Chittella's Gulmohar alongside Suraj Sharma, Simran Bagga, and Kaveri Seth. He will also be a part of the film Despatch, where he will play a journlaist alongside Rock On actress Shahana Goswami. 

His current works also include Secrets Of Sinauli: Discovery Of The Century and the Secrets of The Koh-i-noor, both streaming on Discovery +.