Date of birth ; 4th April Manoj Bajpai was brought up in Bihar,more specifically in a small village named Bilwa.He grew up as a film-lover and was always a patron of the art of acting.Eager to make this his career focus, he began looking for film offers as soon as he was old enough. The lucky moment finally came in 1996 when he was given a tiny role in Shekar Kapoor's "Bandit Queen".When this offer came,Manoj Bajpai packed his bags and moved to Mumbai.
As his role in "Bandit Queen" was minimal,Manoj Bajpai failed to make a splash.Yet, he straggled forward,making similarly insignificant apperance in movies such as "Dastak" ,"Daud".and Pooja Bhatt's "Tamanna".Meanwhile,he took a role in television serials "Zameen Aasmaan"and "Badalte Rishtay",where he was able to get the respect of viewers.His Performance were always intense,which appealed to his audience. 
Of course,not many people are television serial viewers.Manoj was not widely noticed until his lucky break came in 1998.Ram Gopal Verma,who had worked with him in "Daud",gave him another shot with a huge role in "Satya".Manoj 's sincere performance left audiences enthralled,and his mark was permanentaly made when he received the Filmfare Critic's Award.He teamed up with Ram GOpal Verma in 1999 again for"Kaun?",a relatively short suspence thiriller opposite Urmila Matondkar.He again fascinated the public,ensuring that he possessed raw talent. 
Later the year came "Shool",which gave mixed results.On one hand,the film did not meet expectation at the box office.But the film also marked Manoj's most prominent role,and his acting skills stole the show.The public was beginning to fall deeper in love with his hearfelt display od emotion on screen. 
The year 2000 didn't do much for Manoj,but he was avle to maintain his ground.He made a special appearance in "Fiza" that did not go unnoticed.In"Ghaath",he was praised for his newfound ability to dance ,and his image increased in range. He also acted in Hansal Mehta's "Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar",but the film did not get a significant responce. |
