Even when discussing the most serious topics, you can count on Manoj Bajpayee to be raw, honest and humorous at the same time. In an exclusive chat with India Today, the actor recently talked about being ‘underpaid’, a claim he made a few years ago. According to him, he is not paid as much as stars like Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan.

In an interview in 2023, Manoj Bajpayee had reportedly mentioned how, even after doing a successful show The Family ManThey still receive low wages, and have even referred to themselves as ‘cheap labourers’. When asked if he was paid well season 3The actor said smilingly, “No matter how many we get, we don’t get enough (Whatever you get will not be that much.) We don’t get to see as much as you read about stars being in the news. We keep fighting for better money, the struggle continues.”

When asked if he still felt he was the one cheap labor (cheap labour) or if times have changed for him after his recent success, he replied, “Nothing (has changed). MNREGA it has hit me (I am under the MNREGA scheme),” he joked, adding that things have got a little better.

However, Manoj Bajpayee said that he has done many films for which he charged less to make. He said that he will continue to support such films. Naming Jugnu as one of them, the actor said, “If they had given me that money, how would they have made that film? We have to give up things if we have to satisfy the artist inside us and at the same time pursue great films. So we have to take these decisions. I have worked on many small films and have charged fees as per their budget, because I believe in their story and passion. And when I say yes, I will try my best, and never back down.” I will move away.”

Manoj Bajpayee further discussed how OTT has evolved over the years. He shared that he was at his sister’s house in Atlanta with his wife when he first watched Narcos on Netflix. When he talked to some people about this, he understood how big OTT has become in Hollywood, and how people featured on this medium have become even bigger stars than Hollywood stars.

When he came back to India, he said the digital medium here was still in its infancy: “It was trying to find a foothold in the country. A few shows had come, and they did quite well. Without shame or hesitation, I would say that Family Man benefited a lot of people – not just me as an actor, all the actors, Raj and DK and their careers, and the emergence of Prime Video, but it also showed the potential of OTT. So Family Man was that is the series that has taken OTT to every home.”

It also stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Nimrat Kaur, Sharib Hashmi and Priyamani. The Family Man 3 Streaming on Prime Video.