Actor Manoj Bajpayee’s acting prowess cannot be challenged, with performances in projects like Satya, Pinjar, Chittagong, Gangs Of Wasseypur and Aligarh backing him up. While everyone knows that he was a teacher at the National School of Drama, New Delhi, not many know that before that, it was renowned acting coach Barry John, who took him under his wings and strengthened his roots of acting in Barry John’s Delhi based Theatre Action Group (TAG).
Bajpayee, 55, credits John for every positive aspect in his career and dedicates his stature as an actor to his guru on the occasion of Guru Purnima.
Talking fondly about John, Bajpayee says, “Whatever I am today, and whatever I have accomplished over the years, the person I have shaped into, it is all because of Barry. The flaws are my own, but all the personality advantages and positive traits are learned from Barry’s teachings—his way of living. As a keen observer of Barry, how he teaches, how he conducts himself, and how he leads his life were all things I kept grasping.”
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Not the one to forget his teachings, Bajpyee’s restlessness as an actor also comes from John’s wisdom.
“No hour should be wasted; every hour should be utilized creatively and consciously. This has been my biggest learning from him. He also taught me to keep my shoulders and head completely light, without any baggage, without any ego, without looking back, or basking in past glory,” shares Bajpayee, whose journey in Bollywood is seen as testament for younger actors dreaming of making a mark.
Bajpayee, a prolific theatre artists as well, continues to stay in touch with John, who moved to Mumbai from Delhi in 2007 and opened Barry John’s Acting Studio. The 80 year-old master, continues to inspire his disciple and many others.
Bajpayee says, “He has taught me so much about all aspects of life and theater. When you meet him now in Bombay, though he is not well, I still see him as the same young, dashing, good-looking man—so learned, so hardworking, so well-read, and so well-informed.”
“It has been an incredible stroke of luck that God gifted me Barry when I was very young and searching for direction. He gave me that direction,” Bajpayee signs off.
