Against his principles: Actor Manoj Bajpayee talks about the system of lobbying for awards

Bagging four National Awards is not an easy feat to achieve, but Manoj Bajpayee managed to bag his 4th National Award recently for his performance in the streaming movie Gulmohar. The actor said in times when members of the film fraternity lobby heavily for the awards, he believes in the power of hard work and leaves the rest to destiny, rather than push for awards from his end. Manoj said that the concept of lobbying for awards was against his principles.

Reacting to his National Award win, the actor said, “I always feel so ecstatic and great. It’s a huge thing for me in the times when everyone lobbies for every award here.” The actor, who has completed three decades in cinema, is also a recipient of a Padma Shri. Manoj added, “I must tell you that no award in my house has been lobbied for or has been pushed for from my side. That is completely against my principles. I have always said that if I lobby for awards, how I could look at those awards every single day in my house?”

For Manoj, getting the National Award for the Disney+ Hotstar movie Gulmohar is huge for many reasons. He said, “As an actor, I am blessed to be a part of Gulmohar, along with Sharmila Tagore. To be recognised and honoured for being a part of an ensemble piece is a big thing. The Special mention in the National Award is given to those who the jury feels has done a remarkable performance. I got the Special Mention Award many years ago for Pinjar and to get it 20 years later for Gulmohar… I can’t define what the feeling is right now”.