Manoj Bajpayee on his love for wife Shabana: ‘When I laid eyes on her, we fell in love, started dating’ | Hindi Movie News
Manoj Bajpayee and his wife Shabana Raza had a memorable July 1998. It was the time when Manoj became a household name after playing the fierce gangster Bhiku Mhatre in Ram Gopal Varmathe hit crime film ofSatya‘. At the same time, Shabana entered the world of acting with the romantic film ‘Kareeb’, starring Bobby Deol, produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The film may not have managed to pull the audiences to the theatres, but Shabana managed to win many hearts with her natural and convincing performance as Neha.
Manoj Bajpayee on how he fell in love with Shabana
Speaking to SCREEN, Bajpayee explained how his love affair with Shabana began the moment they crossed paths at a party, saying it was just love at first sight. He said, “Kareeb was also celebrated and became the find of the year. I completely fell in love when I watched her and interacted with her. We fell in love. In fact, it was from the first day we started going out.”
Why Shabana never visits Manoj Bajpayee on the set
Beyond their personal bond, Bajpayee also feels that having Shabana as his partner has been a blessing in his professional life as well. Their deep understanding of the film industry and their thoughtful nature have helped them maintain a healthy balance. One of the clearest examples of this is his firm decision never to go on his sets. “My wife is very receptive and sensitive about these things. It shows in her decision that she will never visit me on the set. Because somewhere in the beginning, she accepted that Manoj is different and she is not ready to accept this Manoj, where she does not feel accepted or not welcomed. That was the moment when he decided that he would not come to the set,” recalls the actor.
Manoj Bajpayee calls it a different kind of understanding
Bajpayee admits that there are times when he really wishes Shabana would come with him on set, but she always stays back, knowing that it is ultimately for his benefit. And as an actor, he understands exactly why. “That’s good because, as an actor, she understood that it would be stupid for her to ask for my attention at this point. What she’s doing and what she’s going through is completely different, where she doesn’t even step into that zone. It is a different kind of understanding,” Bajpayee argues.
Manoj Bajpayee’s journey from ‘Satya’ to ‘The family man ‘
After seven years of dating, Shabana finally married Bajpayee in 2006 and the couple welcomed their daughter Ava Nayla into the world in 2011. Shabana retired from acting in 2009 but has been by Bajpayee’s side in every phase of his incredible journey, from his breakthrough role in Satya to his blockbuster hit The Family Man for nearly three decades. Reflecting on his career graph, Bajpayee believes that while people may perceive his journey differently, not much has changed from his perspective. “In people’s eyes, my career has changed. But in reality, nothing has changed because, even then, I wasn’t doing the films that were coming to me. So the situation has remained the same,” says Bajpayee.
Manoj Bajpayee on his slow and steady financial growth
When it comes to his financial growth, Bajpayee reveals that it was a slow and steady climb rather than an overnight transformation triggered by the success of any one film. “In the beginning, when you do films as an actor, you don’t get paid well. It takes years before you start asking for your own price. So the circumstances are still the same. It’s just that there was a little comfort in terms of money,” adds the actor.He goes on to explain how difficult things were in his early days, when even the smallest expenses required careful thought. “Now, that became easier. But it was still not that easy to go to a showroom and buy a car (laughs). It took me seven to eight years before I started asking my price,” reveals Bajpayee.
Manoj Bajpayee says it’s never just one film that changes everything
Looking back on the timeline, one could point to his supporting role in Yash Chopra’s romantic drama ‘Veer-Zaara’ in 2004, six years after ‘Satya’, as a turning point, especially since Bajpayee has mentioned that he was paid as a lead actor for that film. However, he is quick to dismiss the idea that any one film can completely transform an actor’s career path. For Bajpayee, it has always been about consistently building a body of work that speaks for itself over time. “That’s my experience in the industry. You keep accumulating good work and you keep building credibility, and then people start respecting you. To get that entry into any office, you have to prove it for a long time. That’s still relevant,” adds the actor.
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