Manoj Bajpayee is recognised as one of the pioneering actors of the country. Time and again, the ‘Family Man’ actor has vowed viewers and critics with his diverse range. His signature style fused with his impeccable colloquial dialogue delivery and a pinch of sarcasm has amassed a fandom of its own. The ‘Bhaiyya Ji’ actor boasts an enviable repertoire and has delivered several hits. Some of these are- ‘Pinjar,’ ‘Gangs of Wasseypur,’ ‘Shool,’ ‘Satya’ and ‘Aligarh’ among others. Bajpayee has always been vocal about the struggles in the early days of his career. Recently, the actor got candid about the hardships he faced in Delhi and Mumbai as he tried to make something for himself.

In a conversation with entrepreneur Ritesh Agarwal for Mint, Manoj Bajpayee recalled his struggling days in Delhi and discussed living in Delhi’s barsati. He said, “I still shudder when I think of my days in a barsati. I used to live in Mukherjee Nagar. The only advantage of a barsati is that they are cheap. But it used to get extremely hot in the summers and extremely cold in the winters. If the temperature outside was 40 degrees, it would feel like 45 degrees inside. It was hell.”

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After a few years in the national capital, the actor polished his acting skills and became a faculty member at the National School of Drama. “When I was in Delhi, I used to stay busy. Theatre didn’t pay me, but it kept me busy. I worked for 18 hours. And I never slept hungry, thanks to my friends. Even if I missed lunch, my friends would share half their chapati with me. But, Mumbai was very difficult for me.” Subsequently, the actor moved to Mumbai’s glistening tinsel town, however, it was far from glitz for him.

“I wasn’t good physically. I was also down mentally and emotionally. There was not a lot to do there. I was only wandering from studio to studio in search of work. I was completely broke. It is quite an expensive place to live. There was no guarantee of where you will find your next meal. I would starve the whole day. Production people would chase us out when we would approach them for work.”

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Ultimately, to make ends meet, the actor decoded a few tricks to help him sail through his days. This involved timed conversations at the right place that would help him get a meal. “Eventually, I learnt tricks to arrange for food. I used to go to a set exactly when they would have lunch break. I used to find a familiar face first and then our conversation would lead to, ‘I am going to grab a bite, you want to join?’ And I would be like, ‘Sure’. We used to put a lot of thought in arranging food.”

Manoj Bajpayee’s last was the film ‘Bhaiyaa Ji’ and the Netflix series ‘Killer Soup.’ Moving ahead, the actor’s next is the third season of the blockbuster series ‘The Family Man.’