Dealing with the death of a parent is never easy, and for Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee, it was especially challenging as he lost both of his parents within a span of six months.
Bajpayee recounted the painful memory of urging his critically ill and suffering father, RK Bajpayee, to peacefully depart from his body.
Speaking to Siddharth Kannan about his father, Manoj said, “My father was very close to me and I adored him.
However, during her stay there, her stomach cancer resurfaced and she was called back to Delhi for treatment.
Remembering his mother, the actor said, “The cancer started regrowing in her stomach when she was in the village.
Dealing with the death of a parent is never easy, and for Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee, it was especially challenging as he lost both of his parents within a span of six months. In a recent interview, the actor shared how he managed to handle the situation with maturity. Bajpayee recounted the painful memory of urging his critically ill and suffering father, RK Bajpayee, to peacefully depart from his body. He also reflected on his mother Geeta Devi’s strong will, recalling her request to the doctor for something to expedite her passing, preferring not to burden her children.
Speaking to Siddharth Kannan about his father, Manoj said, “My father was very close to me and I adored him. I was lucky that my siblings were there to take care of him as I was shooting for Killer Soup at the time in Kerala. I used to tell him that I am going for shooting but I will finish it and come back.”
Recalling the painful experience of telling his father to let go, Manoj said, “One day, my sister called and informed me that my father had reached the end of his journey in this life. But, as per the doctors, he seemed to be clinging to this world. Knowing that I shared a deep bond with him, she suggested that perhaps if I asked him to liberate his body, he might leave it. This was the exact time when I was supposed to give a shot for Killer Soup and my spot boy was in the van. In front of him, I was talking to my father and I told him, ‘Bauji aap jaeye, bauji hogaeya (Father please go, it is time) and it was heartbreaking for me. My spot boy started crying, howling and I was going for my shot. That was the toughest moment for me but I dealt with it and early morning the next day, my father left.”
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Manoj added, “He was staying in that body to see me and when he heard me over the phone after a long time, he left his body.”
After his father’s death, Manoj recalled how his mother too passed away within just six months. Reflecting on this challenging period, he recounted how his mother, following his father’s demise, decided to relocate from Delhi to their ancestral village. However, during her stay there, her stomach cancer resurfaced and she was called back to Delhi for treatment.
Remembering his mother, the actor said, “The cancer started regrowing in her stomach when she was in the village. We didn’t know and she too didn’t know. Pus started forming in her stomach and it started coming out of her navel. Despite this, she attempted to self-treat by watching instructional videos on YouTube. Such a strong woman I am talking about.”
Sharing his mother’s reaction after she got to know about cancer, Manoj said, “The moment she realised that she would be dependent on her children, she asked my sister to ask the doctor to give her something so that she could die easily. She said, ‘No, I don’t want to be dependent on anybody. It is better that I die.’ And she left. So, my whole upbringing is like that – not to bow down, not to surrender, not to be dependent, not to be defined by anybody but still be gentle and polite.”
