Actor Manoj Bajpayee on Sunday celebrated 22 years of director Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s 2003 historical drama film Pinjar, which had won him his second National Award.

“Two decades and two years ago, Pinjar released and this film has a special place in my journey. The film that did not qualify for any mainstream awards but won two National Film Awards, including my second,” wrote Bajpayee on Instagram.

Reflecting on the film’s storyline, the 56-year-old actor added, “Based on the legendary Amrita Pritam’s novel, it spoke about unity, inclusiveness, and the human cost of division. The love it continues to receive means a lot.”

“Grateful to the wonderful team, co-actors, and everyone who made this journey so memorable,” concluded Bajpayee.

Based on a Punjabi novel of the same name by Amrita Pritam, Pinjar also stars Urmila Matondkar, Sanjay Suri, Sandali Sinha, and Priyanshu Chatterjee.

The film follows Matondkar’s Puro, a young woman kidnapped by a Muslim man Rashid (Bajpayee).

Released on October 24, 2003, Pinjar won two National Awards — Best Feature Film on National Integration and the Special Jury Award for Bajpayee.

The film is currently available to stream on Prime Video.