(From far left) Film critics Vinod Anupam, Ajay Brahmatmaj and actor Manoj Bajpai during the interaction at Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir on Sunday. Picture by Jai Prakash

Patna. Dec. 11: Bhiku Mhatre of Satya or Veerendra Pratap of Raajneeti, Manoj Bajpai’s fans love to see their hero in any avatar on the silver screen. Today, the actor came down to the city in his real self and shared his journey in the creative world with his fans.

Manoj interacted with aspiring actors, theatre personalities, mediapersons and film critics at a forum, Regional Challenges of Hindi Cinema, organised by Cimage, a media and management institute. The venue was Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir.

In a one-to-one interaction, Manoj fielded queries from students and critics Ajay Brahmatmaj and Vinod Anupam.

On being asked what inspired him to become an actor, Manoj said: “Films were more like a dream to me, an illusionary world. I always dreamt of touching them and become one of them. I was so passionate about acting that I would perform at any space I got. During my time, it was difficult to even dream about cinema and actors as people had to struggle to know their favourite stars. It has all changed now. Television has made the stars accessible to the fans and there is no more curiosity.

“I also keep very busy because of a lot of projects but I really miss this kind of one-to-one conversations,” Manoj added.

He also said: “Commercialisation has somewhere affected the quality. I want to be known as a good product and don’t want commerce to rule me. But I am not untouched.”

On convincing his father about joining the film industry (Manoj’s father wanted him to become a doctor), Manoj said: “I gave my medical exam in Patna but made sure that I didn’t answer the questions correctly. I was afraid that if I passed the exam, I would have to become a doctor. But I managed to fail. My father wanted me to at least be a graduate. I convinced my father of trying my hand for IAS and moved to Delhi. The real reason was I wanted to join the National School of Drama (NSD), about which I had read in an interview of Naseeruddin Shah. It is very important to follow your dreams. It might take time but if you are passionate, things will fall in place.”

Recounting his two failed attempts to join NSD and his time with different theatre groups, including Barry John’s, Manoj said: “My acting was noticed by Shekhar Kapur, who gave me my first break in Bandit Queen.”

He added: “It is quite true that the industry has a step-motherly treatment towards an outsider. But it’s your work that will make you stand out.”