Manoj Bajpayee turns 51: Did you know he was rejected by National School of Drama thrice before remarkable turnaround?

Manoj Bajpayee is the recipient of two National Awards and in 2019, he was conferred with the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award. However, recognition has not come easy for the actor.

Did you know that Manoj was rejected by his dream institution - the National School of Drama (NSD) - not once but thrice? However, when he applied for the fourth time, they offered him a teaching position instead.

“It affected me the first time. Uske baad aadat ho gayi (Then it became a habit),” he quipped during an interaction with NDTV around the release of Naam Shabana. Despite having three years of theatre experience when he applied for the first time, he still did not make the cut.

“The first time I was rejected, I did not have a Plan B. That was the only ambition I had when I was taking the train to Delhi. After that, it took me two months to get back to work. I started looking for some other avenues where I could learn my craft. As soon as I got that, I was on the job. I wanted to just compensate for the loss that I had in the past. The next year, I went for it again, but by then, I was quite busy doing theatre and I had a Plan B,” he said.

Manoj’s Naam Shabana co-star Taapsee Pannu, who was also present at the interaction, asked him what made him go back to NSD for the fourth time. “If you know the institute inside-out, you know that this is one of the best in the world. Yaar, kisi tarah se mauka mil jaaye (If only I could get a chance somehow),” he said, adding that his lodging and meals would also have been taken care of, if he got into the institute.

Also read: Manoj Bajpayee’s Aligarh paved the way for Ayushmann Khurrana’s Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan; it deserves a reappraisal

A curious Taapsee then asked Manoj why he did not return a fifth time, to which he said, “Because the fourth time, they offered me a job.” He was offered a teaching position when he applied for the fourth time.

Manoj has come a long way indeed, since his multiple rejections at NSD. He will be seen next in the Netflix original film Mrs Serial Killer, as a man framed for serial murders, whose wife (played by Jacqueline Fernandez) will go to any length to see him free, even if it means taking lives herself. The film is directed by Shirish Kunder and will begin streaming from May 1.

Follow @htshowbiz for more