'I'm a realist and do not get swayed by success'

As somebody who has seen several ups and downs in his close to a three-decade-long career in the entertainment industry, Manoj Bajpayee said that he has learned to not let his professional achievements or failures define him as an artiste.

The 52-year-old actor, who has received praise for the second season of his web series 'The Family Man', said he tries to make career choices that offer him as well as his audience a 'unique' experience.

"It has been 26 years in the industry and I have been through so many emotions, excitement, success and failures. All this has just become a part of my life. They do not define my craft or me as an actor or person. I'm a realist and do not get swayed by success or depressed by failures," admitted Bajpayee.

An 'Amazon Prime Video' show, 'The Family Man' first premiered in 2019 and marked the critically-acclaimed actor's successful foray into digital space.

The show is an addition to Bajpayee's ever-growing list of memorable performances, which includes films like 'Satya', 'Shool', 'Gangs of Wasseypur' franchise, 'Special 26', 'Aligarh' and 'Bhonsle'.

His portrayal of a middle-aged investigation agent Srikant Tiwari in the action-drama series, created by

filmmaker duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, has raised the bar of the audience's expectations from him, but the actor said he does not feel pressured by that.

"Audience expectations are welcome. They should expect good work from me as I also do the same for myself. I believe in having strict discipline and doing a good job every time I step out to work. But I do not feel compelled by the expectations," said the actor.

He added, "When I choose a project, I always look for what new things I can offer as a performer and how I can make this whole experience unique for myself. If I'm excited about something I'm doing, that excitement gets transferred to the audience."