Manoj bajpayeewho is currently promoting his upcoming film Jugnuma, has opened up about a deeply unsettling period in his life when he almost considered walking away from cinema. The actor revealed that it was his wife, Shabana Raza, who stood firmly by him and assured him that she would support his decision no matter what.
‘I felt my time was up’
Speaking to Just Too Filmy, Bajpayee shared that just before The Family Man season one took off, he had gone through a year-long phase of uncertainty.“When the script came to me, I was restless and I felt this time is up and I should leave this profession. It was very intense. I didn’t work for a year, and some of my friends were scared for me. The only person who could understand was my wife, Shabana. She told me, ‘Whenever you want to work, you work. And if you feel like leaving this city and the industry, we are ready for it. We have no expectations.’”
Script that changed everything
The actor said that Jugnuma came to him at exactly the right moment. “The questions I had, I was not able to find an answer. And I think it’s there in this script. That state of mind pushed me towards this film. Then Raam and I started talking and I spent one and a half years working on the script with him. I used to sit at his house, practice dialogues, and he, along with his wife Juhi, would welcome me so warmly,” Bajpayee said.
Praise for Reddy window
Bajpayee also spoke highly of the film’s director Raam Reddy, who is just 35. “Sudhir Mishra said it beautifully—directors like me and Anurag are on one side, and Raam is on another. His way of narrating, imagining, and interpreting is from another planet altogether. He pushed all of us—me, Deepak, everyone—to struggle and fit into his world,” Bajpayee said.
Special screening draws stalwarts
Written and directed by Raam Reddy, Jugnuma features an ensemble cast including Manoj Bajpayee, Deepak Dobriyal, Priyanka Bose, Tillotama Shome, Hiral Sidhu and Awan Pookot. The film releases in theatres on September 12, 2025. A special screening was recently held ahead of the release, attended by some of the finest filmmakers in Indian parallel cinema, who turned up in full strength to celebrate the film.
