Manoj Bajpayee Birthday Special: 'Satya' To 'Gangs Of Wasseypur', 5 Titles Of 'The Family Man' To Watch

Renowned actor Manoj Bajpayee turns 55 today!

The actor set foot in the industry with a small one-minute role in the 1994 film ‘Drohkaal’, and a minor role of a dacoit in ‘Bandit Queen,’ which released in the same year. Since then, he has gone on to become one of the finest actors of our generation. His body language and distinctive style of delivering dialogues has made sure that audiences remember the name of the characters he has breathed life into. So, without further ado, let’s look at five such roles he has played that have been loved by audiences all over the country.

‘Satya’ (1998)

Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, the actor played Bhiku Mhatre, a character that is filled with dark humour. The film also starred J. D. Chakravarthy, Urmila Matondkar, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Shrivastava and Paresh Rawal. The movie garnered extensive praise from critics, especially for its authentic portrayal of the underworld and Bajpayee’s outstanding performance. This earned him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.

‘Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1’ (2012)

Directed by Anurag Kashyap, the actor played the role of Sardar Khan, a prominent mafia. The movie also starred Richa Chadha, Reema Sen, Piyush Mishra, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vineet Kumar Singh, Pankaj Tripathi, Huma Qureshi, Anurita Jha and Tigmanshu Dhulia. Bajpayee’s performance is exceptional, effortlessly portraying the allure of enmity on the big screen. Upon its release, the movie garnered widespread critical acclaim and earned numerous accolades.

‘Aligarh’ (2015)

Directed by Hansal Mehta, the actor played the role of Ramchandra Siras, a renowned professor. The actor shared screen space with Rajkummar Rao in the film. The film had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival, and when released worldwide, garnered critical acclaim. Bajpayee’s performance is undeniably one of his most moving and impressive ones, for which he won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor and the Best Actor Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

‘Bhonsle’ (2018)

Directed by Devashish Mukhija, the actor played the role of Ganpath Bhonsle, a retired police officer, who forms a bond with two siblings, who become targets of local politicians alongside other migrants. He shared screen space with Santosh Juvekar and Ipshita Chakraborty Singh. Having premiered at many international film festivals, the film showed outstanding craftsmanship and mastery. Bajpayee even won the National Film Award for Best Actor.

‘The Family Man’ (2019-Present)

Created by Raj & DK for Amazon Prime Video, the actor plays the role of Srikant Tiwari, a middle-class man leading a secret life as an intelligence officer within a fictional division of the National Investigation Agency. The series also stars Priyamani, Sharad Kelkar, Neeraj Madhav, Sharib Hashmi, Dalip Tahil, Sunny Hinduja, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Shreya Dhanwanthary. Bajpayee effortlessly blends the mundane life of a middle-class man with the intensity of a RAW agent.

A very happy birthday to the superstar who never ceases to amaze audiences with his versatility.