'It's Just A Piece Of Decoration' Manoj Bajpayee On Losing National Award To Shah Rukh Khan

Recently, Shah Rukh Khan won his first National Film Award for his performance in Jawan. While many celebrated Shah Rukh Khan’s big win, calling it long in the waiting, there were some who were of the opinion that Manoj Bajpayee deserved it more for Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai.

Now, in an interview, Manoj Bajpayee has broken his silence on losing the National Film Award to his former colleague Shah Rukh Khan.

Manoj Bajpayee Compares National Film Award To ‘A Piece of Decoration’ Amid SRK’s Win

During a chat with India Today while promoting his latest Netflix film Inspector Zende, Manoj Bajpayee was asked about losing the National Film Award to Shah Rukh Khan and how a section of folks thought that he was more deserving for his performance in Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai.

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Responding to the same, the actor replied, “It is a useless conversation because it is gone. When it comes to Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, yes, it is a very special film in my filmography, and so was Joram. They are going to be on top of my filmography. But I don’t discuss these things because it is a very loser conversation. It is in the past, and it should be left alone.”

He was then asked about how many people think that National Awards are losing their credibility by turning more towards commercial cinema.

Manoj replied, “It’s not just about national awards. It’s about all the awards that were revered. They should seriously think about how they are operating. Because it is not about my respect, I take care of my respect very cautiously when I am choosing a film, and I am very responsible to the actor that I am. But each and every organisation has to think of itself, that’s not my job. If somebody else is losing their respect, they should think about it.”

Talking about the relevance of an award win in his life, he replied, “If I get an award, believe me, I will make sure that I have a good time with the people involved with the film. And that is it. It is just a matter of... it is just a piece of decoration in your house. After that, I can't just make sure to stand in front of my award every day and say 'Wow, I got this',”

He then also talked about why he attends such events if he doesn’t believe in them, “If you are calling me to a place to honour me, I will be a fool not to go there. Yeah, of course, I go there because that person wants to give me respect. That's it, nothing less or more. I am not going to reject your respect or your honour.”

Manoj Bajpayee has won National Award four times — Best Supporting Actor for Satya, Special Jury Award (Feature Film) for Pinjar, Best Actor for Bhonsle and a Special Mention for Gulmohar.

National Film Awards 2025 Ceremony Date, Time & Venue

The National Film Award ceremony will take place on September 23, 2025, from 4 PM onwards at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Shah Rukh Khan among others is expected to attend the event where he will be given the honour by President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu.