Manoj Bajpayee criticises the system of lobbying for awards

Having four National Awards up your alley isn’t an easy feat to achieve but, Manoj Bajpayee, the icon of parallel cinema in India, has managed to bag his fourth National Award recently for his performance in the streaming movie ‘Gulmohar’.

The actor, who can rightly be called a National Award veteran, said that in times when members of the film fraternity lobby heavily for the awards, he believes in doing his own work and leaves it up to destiny to reward rather than push for awards from his end.

Manoj spoke with a leading media house and said that the concept of lobbying for awards is against his principles. Reacting to his National Award win, the actor said, “I always feel so ecstatic and great. Whenever I get an award like the National Award, it’s a huge thing for me in the times when everyone lobbies for every award here.”

The actor, who completed three decades in cinema, is also a recipient of a Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Sharing his opinion on lobbying for awards, he told the media agency, “I must tell you that no award in my house which is kept has been lobbied or has been pushed from my side. That is completely against my principles. I have always said that if I lobby for awards, how I could look at those awards every single day in my house.”

For him, getting the National Award for the ‘Disney+ Hotstar’ movie ‘Gulmohar’ is huge for many reasons. He said, “As an actor, I am blessed to be a part of ‘Gulmohar’ along with ‘the Sharmila Tagore’. To be recognised and to be honoured for being a part of an ensemble piece is a big thing.”