Fine actor Manoj Bajpayee is one of the few actors in Bollywood who has always taken up challenging and daring roles in his cinematic journey. The actor has been appreciated by audiences for his outstanding performances not only in feature films but also in the short film medium. The actor has received lot of accolades for his work in the all of his short films be it ‘Taandav’ or ‘Kriti’ or the latest one ‘Ouch’. Recently, Manoj was awarded with the Best Actor award for his performance in the short film ‘Taandav’ at the Flamingo Film festival, which is associated with prominent Cannes Film Festival. Now adding another award into his kitty, the actor has bagged yet again the Best Actor award for his latest short film ‘Ouch’ that is directed by Neeraj Pandey in the prestigious 5th Delhi Shorts International Film Festival – 16.
In Neeraj Pandey’s new short film Ouch, Bajpayee plays a middle aged man caught between the domestic pull of his family life and the lure of the forbidden. And not unlike before, Bajpayee, with his tragicomic touches, makes what could be seen as immoral, endearing. Manoj has done it all, from theatre to films to short films with utmost ease and terrific outcomes.
“Crisp acting is something I yearn for and I like to challenge myself with different roles that demand different things from me. It makes me work towards being more versatile and cross my last mark. I have been very blessed that I have been able to do what I have stated above and have been receiving so much love for it; but I always wanted to explore the possibilities of short films as I feel they are more challenging. You have to communicate a story and pass on the emotions in much lesser time than you get in feature films. It’s really overwhelming to learn that my performances in short films are being loved and acknowledged by not only the audiences globally, but also by the critics and members of the film fraternity” says Manoj Bajpayee when asked about his thought behind venturing into short films.
Manoj Bajpayee has been nominated/awarded at many esteemed film festivals like Asia Pacific Film Festival in Brisbane (Australia), Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival (MISAFF), 7th Jagran Film Festival and many more. His film ‘Aligarh‘ was also screened in festivals like Busan International Film Festival, South Asian Film Festival of Paris, Dallas/Fort Worth South Asian Film Festival (DFW SAFF) to name a few.
