National Award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee is celebrating Christmas with his family. Recently, he shared a heartwarming picture of a Christmas tree on Instagram, wishing his followers, “Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Wishing you all a Christmas filled with warmth, kindness, and a little time to slow down. Merry Christmas.”
2025 has been a remarkable year for Bajpayee. He headlined ‘Inspector Zende’, a Hindi-language action-comedy thriller that released on Netflix in September 2025. In this film, he portrays the quirky yet sharp Inspector Madhukar Zende, engaging in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase with Jim Sarbh.
Another significant release this year is ‘Jugnuma: The Fable’, an ambitious drama directed by Raam Reddy. The film has received acclaim on the international festival circuit, including festivals like Berlinale and Leeds. Presented by Guneet Monga and Anurag Kashyap, it features Bajpayee in a layered role set against the mystical backgrounds of the Himalayas, further showcasing his versatility in choosing unconventional cinema.
Bajpayee’s popularity on digital platforms has soared with the much-anticipated season 3 of ‘The Family Man’, where he reprises his role as the spy-hero Srikant Tiwari in the hit Amazon Prime Video series. He is also involved in exciting future projects, including a Hindi adaptation of Aravind Adiga’s ‘Last Man in Tower’, produced by Rana Daggubati’s Spirit Media.
Renowned for his compelling performances, Manoj Bajpayee continues to navigate seamlessly between mainstream and independent cinema in 2025.
A four-time National Film Award winner, Bajpayee holds a distinguished place in Indian cinema. His first National Award was in 1999 as Best Supporting Actor for ‘Satya’, which established him as a powerhouse performer. He followed this with a Special Jury Award in 2004 for ‘Pinjar’, a historical drama about partition. In 2021, he earned the Best Actor National Award for his poignant role in ‘Bhonsle’ (shared with Dhanush). Most recently, at the 70th National Film Awards (2024), he received a Special Mention for ‘Gulmohar’, bringing his total to four National Awards.