Manoj Bajpayee Plans to Take It Easy in 2026
The actor feels he’s earned a break after his hectic work schedule in 2025
Manoj Bajpayee has been very busy this past year. “Throughout 2025, I was working round-the-clock. I had Inspector Zende, then I finished Family Man 3 and Ram Gopal Varma’s Police Station Mein Bhoot. Now I need to step back for a bit, re-assess my career,” he says, adding with a laugh, “No, it is not a midlife crisis, just a mid-career introspection.”
Manoj feels he is at a place where he can pick and choose. “Every actor looks for roles that satisfies the hunger within him. Earlier, I was the first and only choice for a certain kind of role. But now this industry has many actors like me and if a filmmaker wants to make a big realistic film, there are so many options. Nowadays, when a good script is being written it doesn’t necessarily mean Manoj Bajpayee will be signed on. So I can take it easy for a while.”
He adds, “After 31 years of acting I have no fear of falling or failing. I have seen it all, done it all — if not all, then most of it. I know myself as an actor in and out.”
Nevertheless, Manoj has one unfulfilled wish as an actor – “No one shoots with me in foreign locales wearing trendy, sophisticated clothes. I am hoping that will change soon.”
