Rejection at the National School of Drama made him suicidal, but after over two decades in the film industry Manoj Bajpayee says he has started enjoying the "insult" of listening to the word 'no'.
The 49-year-old actor believes the initial rejections he faced have made him practical and motivated him to work harder.
"I have realised that rejection is nothing but a sign that one needs to work hard. Rejection is not negative it makes you look at things very realistically and practically. I have started enjoying the rejection, misery and the whole insult of hearing 'no' from people.
"It gives me strength to knock the door harder next time. I believe it depends how you look at it. I won't say you are not suppose to feel sad or dejected, but what matters is how better you come out of it," Bajpayee told PTI.
The critically-acclaimed actor adds that while he is a "hardcore optimist", he feels dejected at times.
"When you fall there is pain, but how quickly you get over that pain and move ahead is key," he says.
Bajpayee, however, says empty theatres still scare him.
"That fear still exists because it comes true most of the times. I am so used to having less or no audience. But in all of this the great positive I find is that just because of the kind of journey I had I manage to get over any low easily. That is one positive I derive from this process."
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