Manoj Bajpayee – I have started enjoying my work

Manoj Bajpayee‘s two-decade long career has been an interesting mix of commercial and niche films, but the actor says it is now that he is enjoying his work as it is not as intense as it used to be.

The 46-year-old “Gangs of Wasseypur” actor says after so many years of hard work, he is confident about his craft and this has made him savour his work more than ever.

“I am enjoying acting. I am loving every moment of it.

The actor’s last screen outing “Tevar”, a commercial potboiler starring Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha, was a box office dud. But Bajpayee is not bothered because his character was appreciated and he says he is satisfies because as an actor he did his job.

“I have been appreciated, people said watch ‘Tevar’ for Manoj Bajpayee. Look at the scope the character in the film has given me to perform and make the bad guy look loveable. So I sort of changed the popular belief that the bad guy is supposed to be hated.”

Bajpayee says as an actor he does not mind any genre because it is not his job to judge. “It is director’s job. Not for me. I have to look for a good script. Be it mainstream, niche, independent or parallel, it does not matter. I have done middle of the road films like ‘Shool’, ‘Zubeidaa’, ‘Satya’ and many others,” he said.

The actor is looking forward to the release of his next set of films which includes Hansal Mehta’s “Aligarh”, which is based on the life of professor Ramchandra Siras. His other projects are “Duronto”, a psychological thriller, “Saat Uchakkey” and “Traffic”.

“All the films are ready. Now it all depends on the corporates to release them. I will have to wait and see how they place it across the next year’s film calendar.”

Bajpayee has also been signed on to star in Atanu Mukherjee’s “Unknown Faces” alongside Smita Tambe. The movie will go on floors in December.

Inputs by PTI