01 December,2025 08:02 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Manoj Bajpayee
Manoj Bajpayee is one of the most talented actors in India and has time and again proven his versatility with different kinds of roles. The actor has also never minced his words and often speaks his mind openly. He has previously addressed the pay disparity in the industry. Back in 2023, Bajpayee spoke about being underpaid even after doing a successful show like The Family Man. He had also called himself a 'sasta mazdoor'. So, have things changed after three seasons of the widely popular show where he plays secret agent Srikant Tiwari?
Talking to India Today, Manoj Bajpayee said that he is still not paid as much as the bigger stars in the industry. "Humein chahe jitna bhi mile, humein utna nahi milta (Whatever we get, it's not as much as what others get). We don't get as much as the numbers you read about stars in the news. We continue to struggle for better pay - sangharsh jaari hai," he said.
When asked if he still feels he is a sasta mazdoor, he replied, "Nothing has changed. MGNREGA lag gaya hai humpe (I'm under the MGNREGA scheme)."
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005, popularly known as MGNREGA, is an Indian social welfare scheme that guarantees the âright to work'.
Manoj Bajpayee also shared that he has done many films for less money so they could be made. Citing Jugnu as an example, the actor said, "If they had given me that money, how would they have made that film? We have to let things go if we want to satisfy the artist in us and push great films. I have worked on many small films and taken a fee according to their budget because I believe in their storytelling and passion. And when I say yes, I go all out and never back out."
The actor was last seen in the recently released Prime Video series The Family Man 3, where he reprised the role of Srikant Tiwari. He also recently dropped the first look of his upcoming horror comedy Police Station Mein Bhoot. The film reunites him with filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma. RGV took to X (formerly Twitter) to post a still from the film, showing Bajpayee as a police officer looking intensely into the camera from the shadows.
Before this, RGV worked with Bajpayee in the 1998 cult classic Satya. Speaking about reuniting, Ram Gopal Varma told IANS, "Working with Manoj again after Satya is both thrilling and nostalgic. Fear becomes most frightening when it challenges the highest authority of protection - and a police station is the ultimate symbol of power."
Discussing the cast, which includes Bajpayee and Genelia Deshmukh as the female lead, the filmmaker added, "With Manoj's intensity and Genelia's vulnerability, this story will expand the boundaries of how we see horror in the guise of authority."
