Manoj Bajpayee: I have stopped reading new scripts

As he shoots back-to-back projects, including Chaubey’s next, Manoj says busy date diary won’t allow him to sign new films till 2023

Blame it on the backlog of films created by the second wave of the pandemic and newer offers coming his way, but Manoj Bajpayee is staring at a hectic 2022. The actor wrapped up the shoot of Raam Reddy’s yet-untitled project and Kanu Behl’s investigative thriller Despatch in 2021. Before he could take a breather, he dived into his next with Abhishek Chaubey. The yet-untitled project, which reunites him with the filmmaker after their gritty Sonchiriya (2019), will see him sharing screen space with Konkona Sensharma.

Bajpayee kicked off the shoot in early December. “The drama also stars Sayaji Shinde, M Nassar and some well-known actors from the south film industry. The shoot was recently put on hold after Mumbai witnessed a surge in COVID cases. But Abhishek has informed the unit that as soon as the cases are brought under control, he will return to the set. Manoj has 10 days’ work remaining on the project,” reveals a source. Post that, it will be time for the actor to join forces with Rahul Chitela — who previously served as Mira Nair’s assistant — for his directorial debut.    

Bajpayee admits that the frenetic pace can be overwhelming at times. “With the commitments I have, it will be hectic till the end of 2023. I have to finish all the films I have committed to. Only for this reason, I have stopped reading new scripts and taking narrations. At this point of time, I don’t have dates,” says the actor.

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