Manoj Bajpayee is an Indian actor. He is 57 years old and was born on 23 April 1969 in Belwa, Bihar, India.
He mainly works in Hindi cinema and has been active as an actor since 1993. He made his screen debut with a small role in the film Drohkaal (1994).
Manoj Bajpayee became widely known after playing Bhiku Mhatre in Satya (1998).
Over the years, he has worked in 70+ films and has also appeared in the web series The Family Man, which was first released in 2019.
He has received several major honours, including multiple National Film Awards, and he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2019.
Quick Facts Manoj Bajpayee
| Full Name | Manoj Bajpayee |
| Profession | Actor |
| Age | 57 years old |
| Date of Birth | 23 April 1969 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Zodiac/Sun Sign | Taurus |
| Birthplace | Belwa, near Bettiah, West Champaran, Bihar, India |
| Current Address | Yet to be updated |
| Gender | Male |
Manoj Bajpayee Early Life and Education
Manoj Bajpayee was born in a small village called Belwa in Bihar, India. Growing up in a farming family, his parents struggled financially to support his education.
Driven by an early desire to act, he moved to New Delhi at age 17, where he faced severe setbacks before ultimately finding his calling in theatre. He spent his early vacations helping his father with farming duties.
Education
He studied in a “hut school” till the fourth standard. After early schooling in his village, he continued his schooling at Khrist Raja High School, Bettiah.
He completed Class 12 from Maharani Janaki Kunwar College in Bettiah. At age 17, he moved to New Delhi and studied at Satyawati College, and later at Ramjas College (University of Delhi).
| School | Khrist Raja High School, Bettiah |
| Alma Mater | Satyawati College, Delhi; Ramjas College, University of Delhi |
| Highest Qualification | Yet to be updated |
Manoj Bajpayee Personal Life
Manoj Bajpayee is an acclaimed Indian actor known for his versatile roles in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu cinema.
He had a brief, failed first marriage to a woman from Delhi during his struggling years, which ended in divorce. He met actress Shabana Raza, screen name Neha, right after her debut in the 1998 film Kareeb.
Following a long relationship, they tied the knot in 2006. His personal life is defined by his humble beginnings in Bihar, a devoted interfaith marriage to Shabana, and a strong commitment to keeping his private life grounded away from the spotlight.
The couple navigates an interfaith marriage. Manoj is Hindu and Shabana is Muslim. They embrace an open, secular environment, notably giving their daughter the freedom to choose her own belief system.
Family
Father
His father’s name is Radhakant Bajpai, and he passed away in 2021.
Mother
His mother’s name is Geeta Devi, mother was a homemaker and passed away in Delhi on December 8, 2022, at the age of 80, following a brief illness.
Siblings
He is the second child among six siblings. One of his younger sisters is Poonam Dubey, who works as a fashion designer in the film industry. And Garima, Kamini Shukla, and Sujit Kumar Bajpayee. While one of his brothers prefers to keep a private life, his name has yet to be updated
| Relationship Status | Married |
| Wife | Shabana Raza (Neha) |
| Children | Daughter: Ava Nayla Bajpayee |
| Parents | Father: Radhakant Bajpai Mother: Geeta Devi |
| Siblings | Sisters: Poonam Dubey, Garima, Kamini Shukla Brother: Sujit Kumar Bajpayee |
Manoj Bajpayee Career
Manoj Bajpayee began his acting work with small film roles in 1994, including Bandit Queen and Drohkaal. He followed this with films like Dastak and Sanshodhan (1996), then Tamanna and Daud (1997).
His first major turning point came in 1998 with Satya, where he played Bhiku Mhatre. In the same film, he worked alongside J. D. Chakravarthy, Urmila Matondkar, Paresh Rawal, Aditya Srivastava, and Saurabh Shukla.
In 1999, he took on strong lead roles in Kaun and Shool. In Shool, he starred with Raveena Tandon and Sayaji Shinde.
From 2000 to 2003, he appeared in titles such as Fiza, Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar, Ghaath (2000), Zubeidaa and Aks (2001), Road (2002), and Pinjar plus LOC Kargil (2003). In Pinjar, he worked with Urmila Matondkar, Sanjay Suri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and others.
Between 2004 and 2009, he kept doing regular film work across different stories, including Jaago and Veer-Zaara (2004), Return to Rajapur, Bewafaa, and Fareb (2005), Happy (2006), 1971, Swami, and Dus Kahaniyaan (2007), Money Hai Toh Honey Hai (2008), and Jugaad, Acid Factory, and Jail (2009).
In the 2010s, he continued to balance mainstream and story-led films. In 2010, he appeared in Raajneeti with an ensemble cast that included Ranbir Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgn, Katrina Kaif, Arjun Rampal, Naseeruddin Shah, and Sarah Thompson. He also acted in Aarakshan and Lanka (2011).
In 2012, he played Sardar Khan in Gangs of Wasseypur (Part 1 and Part 2) and shared screen space with actors such as Richa Chadha, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Piyush Mishra, Pankaj Tripathi, Huma Qureshi, and Jaideep Ahlawat. He also did Chittagong and Chakravyuh that year.
In 2013, he appeared in Special 26, Shootout at Wadala, Satyagraha, and voice work in Mahabharat.
From 2014 to 2019, his film list included Anjaan (2014), Tevar (2015), Aligarh, Traffic, Budhia Singh: Born to Run, Saat Uchakkey, and short films like Kriti and Ouch (2016), then Naam Shabana, Sarkar 3, and Rukh (2017). In Aligarh, he starred with Rajkummar Rao.
In 2018, he acted in Aiyaary, Baaghi 2, Missing, Satyameva Jayate, Gali Guleiyan, Love Sonia, and Bhonsle.
In 2019, he appeared in Sonchiriya, a film featuring Sushant Singh Rajput, Bhumi Pednekar, Ashutosh Rana, and Ranvir Shorey.
From 2019 onward, he also became a leading face on streaming platforms through The Family Man, where he plays Srikant Tiwari. The series includes co-stars such as Priyamani, Sharib Hashmi, Ashlesha Thakur, Vedant Sinha, Samantha, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Jaideep Ahlawat, and Nimrat Kaur (across seasons).
In the 2020s, his credited film and series work includes Mrs. Serial Killer and Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari (2020), then Silence… Can You Hear It? and Dial 100 (2021).
His later projects include Gulmohar and Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (2023). In Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, he worked with Adrija Sinha and Surya Mohan Kulshrestha.
In 2024, Manoj Bajpayee stayed busy across streaming and films. In January 2024, he appeared in the Netflix series Killer Soup, sharing the main cast with Konkona Sen Sharma and Nassar.
He is also part of Jugnuma: The Fable (The Fable), where he plays Dev. The listed cast includes Priyanka Bose, Tillotama Shome, Deepak Dobriyal, and Hiral Sidhu.
In April 2024, he returned as ACP Avinash Verma in Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout, working with Prachi Desai, Parul Gulati, Sahil Vaid, and Vaquar Shaikh.
Then, in May 2024, he led the action thriller Bhaiyya Ji, where he acted alongside Zoya Hussain and Suvinder Vicky.
By the end of the year, he featured in the crime drama Despatch as journalist Joy, with Shahana Goswami in a key role, released on ZEE5 on 13 December 2024.
In 2025, he continued with new releases. He starred in Inspector Zende (released 5 September 2025 on Netflix), sharing screen space with Jim Sarbh and Sachin Khedekar. During this period, also continued about The Family Man Season 3.
Upcoming projects
- Governor: The Silent Saviour: The film has an announced release date of 12 June 2026, and it lists Manoj Bajpayee with co-stars like Adah Sharma (and director Chinmay Mandlekar is widely reported).
- Ghooshkhor Pandat: A Netflix-backed thriller linked to Neeraj Pandey, reported to star Nushrat Bharuccha, Saqib Saleem, Akshay Oberoi, Divya Dutta, and Shraddha Das, along with Manoj Bajpayee. A release date has not been announced in that report.
- Police Station Mein Bhoot: An upcoming horror-comedy that reunites him with Ram Gopal Varma.
- Untitled Manoj Bajpayee/Shabana Raza Bajpayee/Apoorv Singh Karki movie (Production Unknown)
- Untitled Manoj Bajpayee/Ram Gopal Varma Project (Production Unknown)
- Untitled Manoj Bajpayee/Nawazuddin Siddiqui Project (Production Unknown)
- MPL Rummy 2025 (Production Unknown, Video)
- Adaab Dawood Ibrahim Bol Raha Hoon (Production Unknown)Role listed: Dawood Ibrahim
- Masoom… The New Generation (Pre-production)
- Kira: The Return of the Unknown (Pre-production)
- Untitled Manoj Bajpayee Project (Filming)
Manoj Bajpayee Awards and Achievement
Manoj Bajpayee has received major awards for Hindi films and OTT work. He is a four-time National Film Award winner, and he has also won Filmfare awards, including Critics and short film categories.
His major wins
- National Film Awards (1999): Won Best Supporting Actor for Satya (1998).
- National Film Awards (2004): Won Special Jury Award for Pinjar (2003).
- National Film Awards (2021): Won Best Actor for Bhonsle (2018), tied with Dhanush for Asuran.
- National Film Awards (2024): Won Special Mention for Gulmohar (2023).
- Filmfare Awards (2000): Won Best Actor (Critics) for Shool (1999).
- Filmfare Awards (2017): Won Best Actor (Critics) for Aligarh (2015), tied with Shahid Kapoor for Udta Punjab (2016).
- Filmfare Awards (2017): Won Best Actor in a Short Film for Taandav.
- Padma Shri (2019): Received the Padma Shri for contributions to the arts.
His key nominations
- Filmfare Awards (2011): Nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Raajneeti (2010).
- Filmfare Awards (2013): Nominated for Best Actor for Gangs of Wasseypur (2012).
- Filmfare Awards (2024): Nominated for Best Actor (Critics) for Joram (2023).
Manoj Bajpayee Controversies
- May 2021 (The Family Man 2 objection and ban demand): Ahead of the Season 2 release, Tamil Nadu minister T Mano Thangaraj wrote to the Centre seeking a halt/ban, saying the trailer showed Eelam Tamils in a “highly objectionable manner.” The makers (Raj and DK) responded with a clarification.
- February 2026 (Ghooskhor Pandat title backlash and FIR): Netflix’s teaser for Ghooskhor Pandat faced backlash over its title, with reports of an FIR and legal action. Manoj Bajpayee and the team issued statements saying the project is fictional and not meant to target any community, and promotional material was taken down during the dispute.
Manoj Bajpayee Net Worth
The estimated net worth of Manoj Bajpayee is about ₹120 to ₹170 crore($15-$20 million USD), and his annual salary is yet to be updated.
| Net Worth in Dollars (Approx.) | $15-$20 million USD |
| Salary (Approx.) | Yet to be updated |
Manoj Bajpayee Height, Weight, and Physical states
Manoj Bajpayee’s height is around 5 feet 7¾ inches (172 cm), and he weighs 68 kg (150 lbs). Though it is known that He has Dark Brown eyes and Black hair.
| Height | In centimetres: 172 cm In meters: 1.72 m In feet & inches: 5 feet 7¾ inches |
| Weight | In kg: 68 kg In lbs: 150 lbs |
| Body Measurements | 39-32-13 inches |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Manoj Bajpayee Instagram, X, Facebook
 @bajpayee.manoj | |
| X |  @BajpayeeManoj |
 @Spotlight.ManojBajpayee |
Interesting Facts About Manoj Bajpayee
- He attended Barry John’s acting workshop in Delhi after being rejected by NSD. Barry John later hired him as an assistant teacher, and Manoj was even offered a teaching position at NSD when he applied again.
- Before his film break, he worked in TV serials, including Kalakaar and Imtihaan (Doordarshan).
- During his struggling days, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt offered him the Doordarshan serial Swabhimaan (1995), which helped him stay active as an actor at that time.
- In Bandit Queen (1994), he was first considered for the role of Vikram Mallah, but he finally played Mann Singh in the film.
- He has done voice work, too. In the animated film Mahabharat (2013), he voiced Yudhishthira.
- Wikipedia notes that he was married earlier (to a woman from Delhi) and later got divorced during his early struggle phase.
FAQs
Who is Manoj Bajpayee?
Manoj Bajpayee is an Indian actor. He is known for working mainly in Hindi films and also in web series, including The Family Man.
What is Manoj Bajpayee’s age and date of birth?
Manoj Bajpayee was born on 23 April 1969, so he is 57 years old.
Where is Manoj Bajpayee from?
Manoj Bajpayee was born in Belwa, near Bettiah, West Champaran, Bihar, India.
What is Manoj Bajpayee’s height?
Manoj Bajpayee’s height is about 5 feet 7¾ inches.
What was Manoj Bajpayee’s first TV show?
Manoj Bajpayee’s early TV work includes the Doordarshan serial Swabhimaan (1995).
What was Manoj Bajpayee’s first movie?
Manoj Bajpayee’s early film work includes Drohkaal (1994) and Bandit Queen (1994).
Which film gave him major recognition?
Satya (1998) gave him wide recognition for his role as Bhiku Mhatre.
What awards has Manoj Bajpayee received?
Manoj Bajpayee has won major honours, including National Film Awards, and he also received the Padma Shri in 2019.
What are Manoj Bajpayee’s upcoming projects?
Projects linked to him include Governor: The Silent Saviour (completed, 2026), Ghooskhor Pandat (completed, 2026), Police Station Mein Bhoot (filming), Masoom… The New Generation (pre-production) and Kira: The Return of the Unknown (pre-production).
