CAN'T TOP THIS

WITH A STRING OF RELEASES ON OTT PLATFORMS, MANOJ BAJPAYEE IS EMERGING AS NEW BOLLYWOOD’S FIRST SUPERSTAR

- Suhani Singh

Manoj Bajpayee will tell you he doesn’t aspire for stardom: “Keep giving me good work and give the superstar tag to someone else. What I long for is great work. I am greedy in that I don’t want anybody to take any good character away from me.” Though the actor’s humility and dedication are inspiring, it must be noted that the pandemic has changed the very definition of stardom. Theatres are today struggling to lure audiences and the Rs 100 crore film seems like an impossible dream. The protagonists of web shows have come to rule the roost. With both seasons of Bajpayee’s The Family Man (2019-) having unanimously been declared hits, he is now not just an acclaimed actor but also a household name. This week, Bajpayee returns to OTT, this time on Zee5, with the thriller Dial 100. With the string of new releases on OTT platforms, including the Netflix anthology film Ray, based on the works of Satyajit Ray, released last month, Bajpayee is fast emerging as new Bollywood’s first superstar.

Bajpayee says he isn’t disappointed that